Smithtran costs cut
Page 16
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FINES AND costs totalling E28,000 imposed on Smithtran International of Blackburn and six of its drivers in July were cut to £12,650 at Preston Crown Court on appeal.
Before the magistrates, the company had been fined £19,200, Kenneth Skilling of Blackburn £1,400, Bernard Conlon of Padiham £1,250, Michael Alcock of Briarfield £1,325, Malcolm Stringer of Burnley £1,100, Peter Stackhouse of Burnley £1,375 and Roger Astley of Nelson £1,250. The company was ordered to pay £500 costs and each of the drivers £100 (CM, July 21).
Prosecuting, Mark Laprelle said that the drivers had admitted 95 offences of excessive hours, insufficient rest and failing to operate a tachograph correctly. The company had admitted causing and permitting the offences.
Smithtran specialised in international work. The drivers were paid roughly £200 gross for a round trip to Italy.
The offences came to light when the police seized tachograph charts and analysed them by computer. A lot of charts had been destroyed by a fire before the rest were seized. Managing director Charles Smith's general attitude was that it did not matter about offences committed abroad. However, driving abroad was taken into account when totalling driving duty and rest times.
Defending, Richard Henriques said there was no evidence of any falsification of tachograph records or of any attempt to interfere with the operation of tachographs.
In the latter half of last year it lost £47,000. Before that it had been making a profit of £12,000 to £15,000. He hoped the company would make a small profit in the current year.
Judge Norman Sellers said that it was necessary that such offences should he dealt with seriously.
The company's fine was reduced to £9,500 with £500 costs, Mr Skilling's to £450, Mr Conlon's to £400, Mr Alcock's to £425, Mr Stringer's to £350, Mr Stackhouse's to £375 and Mr Astley's to £400. All the drivers except Mr Skilling who is unemployed were ordered to pay £50 costs.