Bow Bells continued from page 17 inspection of drivers' records over
Page 30
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a period of three days in January at Bow Bells' offices. He had interviewed Mr Arundel who had been with the company for 17 years.
An East Midland traffic examiner from Lincoln, Mr T. Hartley, said he had interviewed Mr Graves who lived near Holland, in Lincs. Mr Graves had seemed confused about the journey on November 5, he said.
Replying to Mr Harkness. Mr Frank Davis, managing director of Bow Bells, said: "We have always kept our records up to dateand that they were never altered in any circumstances. They were checked by a clerk at the City office whose "pedigree or qualifications" he was not aware of.
Referring to the gate book at Hither Green, he said: "As far as I am concerned it is all wrong." On a recent visit to Hither Green there had not been anyone in the gatekeeper's office at all. He asked: -How can one man watch the gate for 12 hours continuously? Does he never go to the toilet or have a cup of tea?"
Mr James Arundel. of London. EC I, a dock runner. said he only occasionally drove the company's lorries. On November 5 he reported for work at 3 p.m. but did not take the vehicle over until 6.30 p.m. when it had returned loaded from Hither Green. He agreed that the vehicle registration number on the log sheet had been inserted by someone else as he had accidentally omitted it on the day'.
The other driver. Mr Leonard Graves, said the records he made out on November 5 were accurate. It was true that he signed certain advice notes at Hither Green on November 5. but that might well have been while waiting to get a lift back home to Lincs., from another driver in order to start work next day at Goole. He was unable to remember exactly how he got home that day.