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IC: "As dangerous as drunken drivers"
Page 12
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by Michael Jewell Consideration of disciplinary action against Hexham-based William Martin Oliver & Partners has been adjourned until June.
However, the North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartney considered action against 58 of its drivers at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry following the discovery that 70 of them had been falsifying tachograph records.
The adjournment of the case against the firm came after Gary Hodgson, for partner and transport manager Stuart Oliver, said that the Vehicle inspectorate had only
just provided a large amount of documentation which he required time to consider.
Macartney heard that 35 of the drivers had been prosecuted for falsifying tachograph records, 34 of whom pleaded guilty to a total of 452 offences between December 1999 and March 2000. As a result, nine were sentenced to two months' Imprisonment and one to one month's imprisonment. The remaining men were given lesser sentences varying from fines to community service, with another two awaiting sentence and another yet to be tried. A further 35 drivers who had committed simi lar offences had not been
prosecuted for various reasons.
Lawyers acting for two of the drivers criticised the time taken to bring the case—in some cases, allegations dated back almost four years. James Bac.khouse, for driver Charles Stobart, claimed that the Vehicle inspectorate was having a second stab against the drivers it was unable to prosecute.
Taking no action against the drivers who had not been prosecuted other than to issue a formal warning, Macartney said that they were walking away when they should have been disqualified for five years or more, but natural justice demanded that they should have been informed of the seriousness of the case against them much earlier.
However, he spoke out against the drivers, saying all accepted money for driving more hours than was deemed to be safe. They had been driving trucks of up to 44 tonnes
when they were so tired that they were as dangerous as drunken drivers. In almost all cases, there was little excuse and most would have had their NOV licences revoked and been disqualified from holding them for up to five years.
Macartney said he would announce his final decision against the convicted drivers in writing.