Records created and inherited by the Road Executives and successors

Records of the Road Executives and successors, established to oversee and carry out the operation of various forms of road transport, documenting the establishment and administration of those organisations.

They include the records of a good many road service companies which significantly pre-date the British Transport Commission, as well as minutes, papers and other records of the following bodies:

• Road Haulage Executive in AN 54
• Road Passenger Executive in AN 56
• British Road (Ferry) Services Ltd in AN 59
• British Road Services Board of Management in AN 60
• British Road Services Ltd and associated companies in AN 62, AN 63, AN 65, AN 66 and AN 67
• British Road Services Federation Ltd in AN 64
• Acquired road service companies in AN 68
• Transport Holding Companyin AN 69 and AN 70

Omnibus purchase records will be found in AN 57

• British Road (Ferry) Services Ltd, 1963-1969
• British Road Services Board, 1953-1962
• British Road Services Federation, 1963-1963
• British Road Services Ltd, 1963-1969
• Road Haulage Executive, 1949-1952
• Road Passenger Executive, 1949-1952
• Road Transport Executive, 1947-1949
• Transport Holding Company, 1962-1972

Topics

Road Transport

Transport management

Wills and probate

The road executives were established by the Transport Act of 1947 which acquired for the state ownership of railways, canals, docks, inland water transport, long-distance road haulage and various other types of transport. The British Transport Commission, responsible to the Ministry of Transport, was to oversee the operation of these nationalised means of transport.

The road executives included: the Transport Executive, succeeded by the the Road Haulage Executive in 1949, responsible for setting up and operating a national system of long distance road haulage based upon the integration of the services provided previously by a large number of private companies; and the Road Passenger Executive, established following the abolition of the Road Transport Executive in June 1949 and given responsibility for the preparation of area schemes for the co-ordination of omnibus services of particular areas and for the management of such omnibus services as were acquired by the commission.

Following a government white paper on transport policy in May 1952, the Road Passenger Executive was abolished in October of that year, but the two operating groups - the Tilling Group and the Scottish Omnibus Group - continued in existence with direct responsibility to the British Transport Commission.

Under the Transport Act 1953, the Road Haulage Executive was abolished, and by government direction, much of the road haulage fleet was sold off to private enterprise. That part which remained was reorganised under a British Road Services Board.

In 1962, under the Transport Act of that year the Transport Holding Company was formed to control the road haulage, road passenger and other companies owned by the former British Transport Commission. Unlike the other successor bodies to the Commission, the Transport Holding Company functioned almost entirely by operating through subsidiary and associated companies. On the 28th July 1966 the company became a member of the Transport Holding Company Freight Association Ltd, and following the Transport Act 1968 the bulk of the company's interests passed to the National Freight Corporation, the National Bus Company and the Scottish Transport group.

In 1972, under the Transport Holding Company Limited Act the Company was dissolved and its assets vested in the National Freight Corporation.