1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140 
SUSPENSION FOR SEVEN—AND A WARNING
Page 46
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AFTER reports had been given of inefficient vehicle brakes on two separate occasions, Bulk Cement Plant Hire Co. Ltd. had seven of its vehicles suspended from licence on Monday. Mr. C. J. Macdonald, the Metropolitan deputy Licensing Authority said: "I must take some punitive action, mainly in the light of our August report, which sh6ws no improvement on the previous one. Had the August report been better you would have had another chance."
The company had been called before the LA under Section 178 of the Road Traffic Act.
Mr. Macdonald said that before the seven suspended vehicles could go on the road again at the end of the month, they would have to be inspected. The licence on the rest of the fleet of vehicles expired in December. There would be another inspection in November and if the fleet was below standard there would be no new licence granted.
The managing director of Bulk Cement, Mr. J. Williams, of Dartford, said that the company had taken measures to improve the maintenance of the fleet, after one of the vehicles was involved in a fatal accident in January. Since the accident they had realized that the original choice of vehicles for the job was unsuitable as so much on-site work was done. They had also had great difficulties in obtaining spares and there had been delay in the replacement of vehicles.
Mr. Williams said they had already bought six new units aild had 13 new ones on order. "As well as the new vehicles, a lot of. time and material and money has been spent on the fleet."
Mr. Macdonald remarked that from the firm's books he did not see any intensive examination or maintenance of vehicles after the first report in February, which followed the fatal accident.
He said that the report of the second inspection in August showed no improvement. Lubrication of springs, shackles and steering gear was inadequate. Under-vehicle cleanliness showed no signs of improvement and the rear brake pipes were clogged with dried cement. On the Dodge vehicles the handbrake was incapable of holding an unladen vehicle.
"Many of the faults concerned the brakes, and from the point of view of public safety, the brake is one of the most important things on a vehicle," stressed the deputy LA.