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Barnsley firm loses licence over maintenance failures

31st October 2002
Page 28
Page 28, 31st October 2002 — Barnsley firm loses licence over maintenance failures
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A firm running a truck with brakes reported to be almost as badly maintained as the truck Involved In the Sowerby Bridge disaster has lost Its licence and seen its directors banned.

Barnsley-based EJ Litister & Sons' licence for 10 vehicles and one trailer was revoked by the North Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Mark Hinchttffe. In addition to disqualifying the company indefinitely, the DTC disqualified its directors Eric and Felicity !Aster for a period of three months.

Vehicle examiner Keith Craven told the OTC that a series of maintenance problems had culminated in a laden tipper being found on the public road with seriously defective brakes.

The slack adjusters of the vehicle concerned had been reported as inoperative since January but had not been replaced, with the brakes manually adjusted. He considered that there were many similari

ties with the condition of the laden tipper at Sowerby Bridge, a case which led to a sea change in the attitude of the public and perhaps ICs towards regulation of the haulage industry.

However, no such finding was made by the DTC who considered that this case was different to Sowerby Bridge In a number of material respects, otherwise he would have taken the company and its directors out of the industry never to return.

He took account of the efforts made by the company to comply with undertakings given at a previous Public inquiry, though things had clearly gone seriously wrong earlier this year. The company was proposing to improve its maintenance arrangements in a number of ways and there was clear focus on improvement in brake performance. However, said the RTC, the over-riding concern remained that there had been failures to get vehicles into tip-top condition, culminating in a laden tipper being found with significantly defective brakes. 'It seems to me that the public would not countenance this licence continuing," said Hinchiiffe. ''The directors have to bear personal responsibility."

CM contacted EJ Ulster, but had received no response as It went to press.

CASE HIGHLIGHT

It is not enough for directors to set up adequate systems and then leave them to run themselves. What is required is constant supervision and monitoring to ensure that the systems work.