Freight News
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Oakley gets the gun
THE HGV driving licences of seven of 10 drivers convicted of drivers' hours and records offences, including falsification of tachograph records, were either revoked or suspended last week by West Midlands Licensing Authority Ronald Jackson.
The drivers were employed by Arthur Oakley Transport of Hereford and the company and 14 of its drivers were convicted of a series of offences by the Hereford magistrates with fines and costs totalling £5,670 being imposed. As a consequence the LA removed five vehicles from the company's May 281.
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Of the drivers called before the LA, Douglas Ewins and Jorace Jones, both of Hereford, had their hgv licences revoked, Gwynfor Ackery of Hereford had his licence suspended for three months, James Baynham, Richard Thompson and Phillip Warren of Hereford and James Biddle of Leominster had their licences suspended for one month. Edward Burgess, John Hornsby and Graham Mills of Hereford who each only had two convictions recorded against them were given severe warnings.
Mr Ewins said that the Department of Transport had conducted a vendetta against Oakley. He felt it was making a fuss about nothing, for although he had been convicted of false records it was only a matter of five minutes, "here and there".
He tried to keep near the hours limits but it was a question of making a living. He could not just pull up on the hard shoulder of the motorway when his hours ran out.
Mr Jackson said "hundreds and hundreds" of others managed and it was the difference between an honest and dishonest living.
Mr Ewins' licence had been suspended in 1979 with a warning yet he had been convicted of 19 offences at Hereford. He was not going to allow drivers to "play ducks and drakes" with the regulations and he had no hesitation in revoking the licence.
Revoking Mr Jones' licence, Mr Jackson said he had been sent a warning letter in 1980 and had been convicted of six false records offences at Hereford.
Mr Ackery had been convicted of three offences at Hereford and had been convicted previously of making a false record and exceeding his hours in 1980.
Drivers whose licences were suspended and those who received warnings were warned that it did not wipe the slate clean and that if they committed further offences they were likely to lose their licences altogether.