Broad Haulage fined on hours
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• Drivers hours and tachograph offences have cost John Broad, trading as John Broad Haulage of Manchester, and four of his drivers, £2,800 in fines and costs.
Appearing before Stockport Magistrates the drivers pleaded guilty to a series of offences including driving for 4 hours without the required break; exceeding the daily driving limits; failing to take the required daily rest; and failing to return tachograph charts within 21 days.
Broad pleaded guilty to permitting 24 of the drivers' offences and to one offence of failing to ensure tachograph charts were returned within 21 days.
John Heaton, prosecuting for the North Western Traffic Area, gave evidence that a vehicle driven by John Ridgeway had been stopped at a roadside check in September 1991.
This check had prompted the Department of Transport to seize a number of charts from the company relating to July and September.
Analysis of the charts showed the company's drivers could never have covered their mileages legally.
Broad was well aware that the offences were being committed, said Heaton, or should have been as he was analysing the driver's tachograph charts.
For the company, Gillian Crossley said the bulk of the offences committed were of failing to take 45 minutes break in a 4i-hour driving period. There had been no suggestion that drivers had continuously driven without a break, but for the break to count it must be of at least 15 minutes.
The company was fined £1,560 with £200 costs; the drivers were fined between £75 and £250 with E85 costs apiece.