Bringing the concept of trucks for hire to the Island should present a new way for young Bermudians and entrepreneurs to start their own businesses without having to find big bucks to buy the necessary transport that they might need only occasionally .

By September, 2006 it will be possible to go out and hire a truck in Bermuda ? a new concept for the Island but one that is commonplace in other countries and is used by many small firms and individuals who only need the occasional use of such vehicles and would never be able to afford the initial outlay of buying their own truck.

For young Bermudians in particular this is being promoted as an empowering tool to help them get a start in the world of business.

As the legislation was debated by Senators on Wednesday, Sen. Raymond Tannock spoke on the benefits he foresaw.

It will make it easier for young people to hire out a light truck without having to worry about the expense of buying it or maintaining it and use it to do odd-jobs when and where needed as they set up their own business, he said. Currently the law states that to get a truck permit you must own a business and provide proof that you need a truck to the TCD.

Sen. Kim Swan mentioned a company in Florida he was aware of which did not have its own fleet of trucks but instead was totally depended on hiring trucks when it needed transport.

His UBP counterpart Sen. Gina Spence-Farmer raised concern about the growing numbers of trucks already on Bermuda?s roads and was supported by Sen. Walwyn Hughes,who said: ?The size and the number of trucks on the roads is staggering. There must be miles and miles of roads in Bermuda waiting to collapse because they were not built for the weight of traffic.?

Junior Transport Minister Sen. Walter Roban told his colleagues that the new bill would create a form of empowerment to smaller businesses by allowing them access to a truck when they needed one without impacting on Bermuda?s roads greatly as only a limited number of hire trucks would be used and they would be hired out by numerous operators who would not need to go to the expense of buying and importing their own truck to the Island.

The Motor Car Amendment Act (No 4) was passed by the Senate.