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Jailed drivers lose licences
Page 18
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Six drivers working for Felixstowebased MJ Graves have lost their HGV licences for periods ranging between four and 12 months for the falsification of tachograph records, despite four of the six having already served custodial sentences.
Deben magistrates had earlier fined two of the drivers, with Leslie Hart being fined a total of £780 and James Knight £1,200. The other four were committed to Ipswich Crown Court for sentence, where David Hockings, Paul Williams and Kevin Saunders were sent to prison for eight months and Carl Hughes for four months.
Appearing before Eastern Traffic Commissioner Geoffrey Simms at Cambridge disciplinary inquiry, four of the drivers said that though they were employed by MJ Graves they normally received their delivery instructions from Orchid Transport and Loadwell Transport and would be unaware of their next task until they returned from the previous journey.
They told the TC that they would frequently be given loads with a specific delivery time which they could not accomplish within the drivers' hours limits. They claimed that if they complained they were told there were plenty of other drivers who were available as an alternative. Their pay was calculated as a percentage of the earnings of the vehicle they drove and they said they were worried about the loss of work if they were seen to rock the boat.
Revoking the licences, the TC said that the offences were quite deliberate and calculated to deceive the enforcement authorities. There could be no suggestion of an error or omisson or a lack of understanding of the rules.
Disqualifying Williams and Saunders for 12 months, the TC said that Williams had been convicted on six counts of making false records and Saunders on 11. He could give little weight to their reasons for committing the offences in circumstances where they had returned to the employment they criticised, yet claimed protection from the TC.
Hackings, who was convicted on 10 counts of making false entries, was also disquali fled for 12 months. Hughes, w was convicted on five coun was disqualified for six montl Knight, who was convicted of offences, was disqualified five months.
Disqualifying Hart for fo months, the TC said he earn some credit by voluntarily t( minating his employment bet the discovery of the offencE