Six drivers convicted
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• Drivers hours and tachograph offences have cost Knottingleybased Harrison Commercial (Sales) and six of the company's drivers £2,050 in fines and costs.
The drivers admitted various offences, including making a false entry, taking insufficient daily and weekly rest, and exceeding 4 hours driving without the required break, when they appeared before the Pontefract magistrates. The company was convicted in its absence of four offences of permitting drivers to take insufficient rest.
Senior traffic examiner Brian Walscher said driver Colin Mulroy had completed a chart as if the vehicle was double manned when only Mulroy was driving. He had also driven for five hours with only 30 minutes break. Driver Michael Miles had worked for nine consecutive days without a weekly rest period. Keith Smith and Keith Whittaker had failed to take sufficient daily rest. Nigel Davies had put a false name on a chart because he feared losing his job if the work was not completed.
Traffic examiner Keith Wil liamson said that driver Stuart Abbot had only taken a break of seven hours 15 minutes in a 26-hour period.
For the drivers, Stephen Kirkbright said they had been employed on international journeys. The company had ceased trading some two weeks ago and all the drivers were made redundant.
Walscher said that the charges against the company were only a sample of the large number of offences found.
Williamson gave evidence that the company's transport manager, Julie Harrison, had said they occasionally looked at the tachograph charts on a casual basis, but admitted they did not bring any offences found to the drivers' attention.
The company was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £100 prosecution costs. Abbot was fined £100, Davies £150, Miles £100, Mulroy £250, Smith £100, and Whittaker £100. They were each also ordered to pay £25 costs.