Inexperience saves ex-butcher
Page 18
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Drivers' hours and tachograph offences committed by a new father and son firm led to their appearance at a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry before West Midland Deputy Traffic Commissioner Alan Bourlet.
However, the Deputy IC decided not to revoke the three-vehicle licence held by Gavin and Robin Inott, trading as 081 Services, of Newchurch, Burton on Trent.
In April 1999 the partners were given a conditional discharge for using a vehicle with a defective tachograph; in October 1999 Robert hot was fined 1600 with £87 costs for five offences of driving for more than 4X hours without the required break; three offences of failing to make entries on the centre field of a tachograph chart; and two of failing louse the mode switch.
Traffic examiner David Dunham said an examination of the tachograph charts since the business had started on 19 March last year revealed a number of offences by Robert !not He had driven for as much as 7hr 10min without any recognisable break, and for between 5hr 45min and 8hr 35min with
breaks varying between 16 and 28min. A148 of his charts shabed that the mode switch had not been used and every chart had centre field aflimces.
Dunham said the partners were driving between six and eight hours a day and, although there had been plenty of daily and weekly rest, most breaks were less than 15 minutes.
Robert lnott said that he had not realised his breaks were so short. Ile explained that he had previously been a butcher and was new to transport. The company specialised in emergency refrigerated transport serving various supermarkets and Exel Logistics, using three 7.5tome box vans. The third vehi
cle was driven by Inott's brother-in-law. He had taken sufficient breaks but not in the right amounts.
The Deputy TC said it was always of concern when he was dealing with drivers' hours and tachograph offences.
However, it was clear that Robert Inca had not been sure what he was dealing with when he started the business. Also the situation was somewhat mitigated by the fact that Inott had made a point of taking some breaks.