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James Moffat caught out by dodgy foreign trailers
Page 22
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. The condition of foreign trail
LAA : .,." ers coming 'nto Scotland
• through Rosyth Docks has led to James Moffat & Sons (Cardenden) appearing at an Edinburgh disciplinary inquiry.
The company, based at Dalgety Bay, Fife, was called before the Scottish Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken. It holds a licence for 30 vehicles and 50 trailers, with 29 vehicles and 50 trailers in possession.
Vehicle examiner Robert Brown said that since a previous Public Inquiry in August 1999, 10 immediate and 15 delayed prohibitions together with four variation notices had been issued to the company's fleet.
Four of the prohibitions were endorsed as showing a significant maintenance failure. Despite recent satisfactory maintenance investigations, the company was still often getting prohibitions at roadside checks. In reply to Michael Whiteford, for the company, Brown said that he had no criticism of the maintenance facilities. He said that he had no concerns over the preparation of vehicles and trailers for annual test and was aware that the company provided traction for third-party traders coming off the ferry at Rosyth.
Brown agreed that since the company had received a warning letter in July of last year there had only been two immediate prohibitions issued to trailers.
In reply to the TC, Brown said that although he generally had a favourable view
CASE HIGHLIGHT
of the company, there were elements that were of concern which were mainly driverrelated.
Director Robert Moffat said that they were now refusing to haul some trailers out of Rosyth because they were not up to this country's standards. Drivers were instructed to telephone in if they had any concerns about trailer condition. They are sending over some real rubbish," he added.
Taking no action other than to issue a formal warning, the TC said that she had heard positive things about the company from the vehicle examiner, which she would like to hear about others.
She could see that trailers coming in from abroad were a real practical problem. However, it could not be swept under the carpet merely because the company was being let down by those for whom it was working; there were road safety implications. If stopped on the road by the police or enforcement officers, then the buck stopped with the company.