TRUCK AND TRAILER.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17995, 14 April 1930, Page 4

TRUCK AND TRAILER.

LOAD NOT ILLEGAL. COUNTY COUNCIL FAILSCASE AGAINST CARRIER. A judgment of considerable interest to motor carriers and transport companies was delivered by Mr F. W. Platts, S.M., in the Hamilton Magistrate’s Court this morning. The case was that in which Mr A. I. McGuire, traffic inspector for the Waikato County Council proceeded against Colin ‘Tuck, carrier, of Hamilton (Mr J. F. Strang). The charges against defendant were that on January 30 and February 13 he operated on a road available for loads not exceeding 6 tons a motor lorry with a trailer attached, weighing in all over’G tons. Defendant holds a 6-ton heavy traffice license for his lorry and a 4-ton license for the trailer. On January 30, with the trailer attached to the lorry by a shaft and pin, defendant carried a load of unsawn timber logs that extended from the lorry on to the trailer. “It is admitted that this combination of a four-wheeled truck and of a two-wheeled trailer does not constitute a six-wheeled lorry, as defined by the motor lorries’ regulations,” said Mr Platts, in delivering reserved judgment. “Mr McGuire, traffis inspector for the Waikato County, contends that the lorry, the trailer, and the load of logs constitute one unit, and that their respective weights must be added together. By this method the combined weight on January 30 was 8 tons llcwt. He admits tiiat if the same load of logs had been cut so that part rested solely on the truck and part on the attached trailer, there would have been no offence. “Seems to be Illogical.”

“It amounts to this: Although the licensed lorry load is G tons and the licensed load of the trailer is 4 tons when they are used in combination to carry a load of logs, the Inspector would limit the weight of the lorry, the trailer, and the load to the G-ton licensed load of the motor lorry only. This seems to be illogical. There is nothing in the regulations to support the inspector’s contention. To justify a conviction it must be shown that the load was so distributed that the lorry carried, with its own' weight added, more than G tons, or that the trailer carried, with its own weight, more than 4 tons. This has not been j proved.” Both charges were dismissed.