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Leeds haulier slammed for dangerous vehicles
Page 23
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A Leeds haulier has been slammed as a "crook" by North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartney at a Leeds dis ciplinary inquiry. The TC revoked the licence held by Adrian Lee, trading as A Lee Transport, of Apperley Lane, Rawdon, and disqualified him from holding or obtaining an Operator's Licence indefinitely.
PC Bruce Warner of West Yorkshire Police said a vehicle involved in an accident in January 2001 was found to be dangerously overloaded with unsecured scrap metal loosely covered by two flattened cars.
It tipped over as It negotiated a right hand bend, falling on a car and killing the driver, a mother of two.
Vehicle examiner David Howram said the vehicle had a string of defects, including faulty brakes and lights, and a speedometer which would not register beyond 50mph. The 0-licence identity disc was illegible and red diesel was discovered in the fuel tank. There were no maintenance records.
Over the past five years 15 prohibition notices had been issued to Lee's vehicles, said Howram. Last May Lee was discovered using an unauthorised operating centre in Bradford. He had appeared at a previous public inquiry, and had had an adminis trative director's interview because of concerns over his maintenance sys tems. It also appeared that Lee was operating more vehicles than he was licensed for Denying this. Lee claimed he had not been operating HGVs since December 1999 or January 2000, and was simply hiring out vehicles to self-employed drivers.
Warner pointed out that the driver of the vehicle involved in the fatal accident Roderick Brough, had told him that he was employed by Lee who was operating the vehicle.
After Lee conceded that he had not brought requested financial evidence with him. the TC gave him until the end of the day to produce it, saying that the evidence painted him "as a crook" and challenging him to prove otherwise.
Revoking the licence when that information was not produced, the TC said Lee was unable to demonstrate that he had sufficient financial standing. He had lost his repute due to the operation of vehicles in a dangerous condition despite previous warnings.
Disqualifying lee, the TC concluded: "I consider that he was responsible for a vehicle with defective brakes and overloaded with 41 tonnes of dangerously insecure scrap metal being on the public road and which caused a fatal accident.
The TC continued: "There are no maintenance records for the vehicle and no evidence of mandatory safety checks. There Is no room in the professional industry for such blatant disregard of the requirements of safe operation."