Curtailment after non-fulfilled statement
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• At a public inquiry in Birmingham last week a Worcester pallet manufacturing company had its operator's licence curtailed under Section 69 after the West Midland deputy LA, Mr J. Shuffiebotham, had decided that the firm, Light Metal Fabrications (1946) Ltd, had failed to fulfil its statement of intent regarding vehicle maintenance and records.
Mr Shuifiebotham curtailed the licence which authorized five vehicles and four trailers by removing the margin of three vehicles and one trailer which had not been acquired.
For the DoE Mr L. E. Edwards, a vehicle examiner, told the court that a trailer operated by the company had been issued with an immediate GV9 in December last year. He arranged to carry out a complete inspection and visited the firm's premises on December 12.
On examining a tractive unit at this inspection he discovered nine defects — warranting a delayed GV9 — and issued a trailer with an immediate prohibition notice because of a worn tyre.
Referring to maintenance records, the examiner said that those produced for 1971 were satisfactory but those covering 1972 were incomplete and in some cases certain defects had been recorded but no indication was given of repair. He added that although the company had drivers' daily defect report sheets available, they had not been used. In defence of the licence, Mr J. R. Peel, works manager, said that in the past vehicles had been regularly inspected by a small local garage and any defects discovered at this garage other than running repairs had been rectified by a larger garage. It may have been for this reason, he said, that the recording of the repair of certain defects has been overlooked.
Mr Peel concluded his evidence by telling the deputy LA that firm arrangements had now been made with a commercial garage to inspect, service and repair both vehicles and trailers and to keep all records.