Haulage Owner's Suicide Blamed on Ferry Crackdown

A haulage company owner has taken his own life amid concerns of safety crackdowns on illegal overloading which has said to have threatened his livelihood.

 

Friends say Raymond Tibbs, 52, from Islay, died shortly after ferry operators stopped turning a blind eye to the overloading of freight vans serving islands. Mr Tibbs owned Cameron Carriers.

 

Ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne had begun to weigh all commercial vehicles and goods vehicles from July 1 2014 after a spot check of 16 vans revealed 14 were overloaded.

 

A Calmac spokesman has been quoted stating that the crackdown was essential to improve safety. It was added that that they have anecdotal evidence that some vehicles may be overloaded and in the light of the recent South Korean ferry disaster, where overloading and falsified documents led to the deaths of nearly 300 people they feel that they have no option but to take this appropriate step.