down on the number of vehicles that are relicensed at the end of December each year.

TCD director Donald Dane said the department had revised the licensing and examination/relicensing periods for commercial and public service vehicles, and the examination timetable of private cars and commercial vehicles at Dockyard and Penno's Wharf.

Eighty percent of the 5,500 commercial and public service vehicles are examined and relicensed in December.

Mr. Dane said this caused congestion in the latter part of December each year and forced TCD employees to work overtime and on Saturdays in order to get the vehicles licensed.

The different classes of vehicles will be split into four groups with each group being examined and relicensed during a specific three-month period.

The first group, which includes private light trucks and light trucks, will be examined and relicensed between September 1 and November 30.

The second group -- which includes public service vehicles, tractors, trailers, boat trailers, farm tractors, military service vehicles, self-propelled construction machines, and miscellaneous vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances -- will be examined and relicensed between November 1 and January 31.

The third group, which includes intermediate trucks, instructional vehicles will be examined and relicensed between December 1 and February 28.

And the fourth group -- which includes tractor heads, container chassis, and public carriage, heavy trucks, and special garbage collection vehicles -- will be examined and relicensed between January 1 and March 31, starting in 1998.