Warning to hirers
Page 8
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OPERATORS who hire vehicles need to watch carefully the length of the hired period otherwise they might find themselves facing prosecution for unauthorised use if the vehicle has not been specified on their operator's licence.
This warning was sounded by the North-Western Licensing Authority, Roy Hutchings, when Independent Transport Services (Groundfold) Ltd of Altrincham applied for a new national licence for two vehicles and two trailers to be acquired.
Trevor Stiles, a director, said it was not prepared to acquire any vehicles. They would be hired possibly for a whole year or just for a few weeks. They would be kept at the premises of FransMaas at Wythenshawe and the hire company would carry out the maintenance.
Mr Hutchings said there was nothing in the regulations to prevent an operator operating in this manner but he hoped the company realised that it must specify on the licence any vehicle it hired for longer than a calendar month.
After Mr Hutchings had pointed out that the hire company had indicated that it proposed keeping the maintenance records, Mr Stiles said copies would be kept at the company's office as well.
Granting the licence for a year to see how the situation worked out, Mr Hutchings warned that the company would be responsibl e for any hired vehicle operated under the authority of its licence if there was anything wrong with it mechanically or with the nature of the operation themselves.