Wife resurrects business from Hirst's banned firm
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A company formed to take over the business of Huddersfield haulier Robert Hirst, whose licence was revoked following convictions for aiding and abetting drivers to falsify tachograph charts (CM 30 March-5 April), has been granted an 0-licence.
Spa Field Transport was seeking a new national licence for 10 vehicles and 10 trailers before North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartney.
For the company, Gary Hodgson said that it had been set up by Robert Hirst last August but had never traded. When Robert Hirst lost his licence his wife Pauline Hirst decided to take on the business through the company. Robert Hirst resigned as a director and Pauline Hirst became a director. However, by the time Interim authority was granted the main customer had had to take on a number of the drivers and some of the vehicles. Robert Hirst assisted that company in arranging its work.
The accountant's advice was that Spa Field would not be viable unless a minimum of five vehicles were operated. said Hodgson. None of the drivers involved in the offences were employed by the company and Pauline Hirst was using an Independent tachograph consultant to oversee the drivers hours and tachograph records.
Pauline Hirst said that her husband allocated the work to the drivers as it came in arid it was checked by the company's transport manager to ensure it could be done within the regulations. She had told the drivers that she would not tolerate any infringements. If her husband allocated work that could not be done within the hours limits she would not hesitate to dismiss him.
The drivers were being paid on the hours shown on the tachograph charts, so if a driver falsified a chart and drove excessive hours he would not be paid for those hours, she added.
In reply to the Commissioner, Pauline Hirst said that her husband was In the office five and a half days a week. He still held one of the two shares issued but would be relinquishing It. Her husband was not being paid at present; she planned to wait until the end of the year and give him a share of the profit.
The TO granted the licence after hearing undertakings that Robert Hirst's share would be transferred; that a limitation would be placed on his involvement; and that the Traffic Area would be notified if there was any change in management or the tachograph analysis arrangements.