Incompetence or disregard?
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• A haulage firm was fined a total of £255 by a magistrates' court this week after admitting 82 offences.
The firm, Mike Hill Motors Ltd, of East Street, Long Buckby, near Rugby. Warwicks, was also ordered to pay £52.49 back tax on excise offences and £12 costs by magistrates at Daventry, Northants.
The 82 offences included 44 cases of using vehicles without an operator's licence; and 11 cases of using untaxed vehicles.
On behalf of the LA, Mr D. Hagger told the court: "This is a sorry story. It is either a case of sheer incompetence or a complete disregard for regulations which other companies abide by."
He said that a lorry owned by Mike Hill Motors had been stopped in a traffic check in December. The log sheets of the driver had not been maintained and the driver had told a traffic examiner that he did not understand them and the company had never asked for the log sheets.
Inquiries were made by traffic examiners into the company and it was found that certain vehicles shown on records as being operated by the company were not authorized to be used under the operator's licence.
Other offences also came to light.
Mr Martin Whiltcher, solicitor acting on behalf of the company, told the court that a qualified transport manager had been employed by the firm and business had been left almost entirely in his hands.
The business of using vehicles under the operator's licence was the responsibility of the manager and Mr Michael Hill, who was concerned with other business commitments at the time, had no idea that the offences were taking place. The transport manager was sacked as a result of the offences.
A driver employed by the company, Mr Charles Edward Harrison of 33 St. John Street, Wellingborough, Northants, was fined £1 on each of seven cases of failing to keep current drivers' records.
The bench heard that the firm would pay Harrison's fines.