Large cut for 99 prohibitions
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• A Merseyside company whose fleet has attracted 99 prohibitions in the past five years, has had the authorisation on its licence cut from 25 vehicles and trailers to 15 vehicles and trailers. Bootle-based Henry Forsyth has also been warned that further prohibitions are likely to lead to licence revocation. When it appeared before North Western Traffic Commissioner Keith Waterworth at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry, vehicle examiner Peter Turner said seven vehicles and seven trailers were inspected in March: four immediate prohibitions were issued for brake related defects. A semi-trailer was given an immediate prohibition for brake defects during a roadside check.
The maintenance facilities were run down, said Turner. During the past five years 57 immediate and 42 delayed prohibitions had been imposed on the company's fleet, nine of them for a significant maintenance failure. The company had appeared at previous public inquiries in March 1995 and May 1996, when the fleet was suspended for a week. Since then, 12 immediate and 17 delayed prohibitions had been issued.
For the company, Bryan Green said Barbara Joyce took over the business from her brother in June 1996 to safeguard the jobs of 35 people, injecting £200,000 of capital. The fleet was modernised and a new foreman fitter was appointed.
Joyce said she had a serious accident at Christmas and had only returned fully to the business in April. The faith she placed in her transport manager was misplaced and he had not disclosed a warning letter from the Traffic Area Office and prohibition notices. A former vehicle examiner had been called in for advice and a contract was being entered into with a commercial garage. Green said Joyce was trying to turn round 10 years of neglect.
The TC decided that while this was a serious case, he was prepared to give the company a final chance under its new management.