False records better than nothing
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• Called before the South Wales LA in Cardiff last week. Glynvale Roadways Ltd. of Brooklyn Garage, Hirwaun, Glam, was required to show cause why its operator's licence should not be revoked, suspended or curtailed under Section 69 following convictions by Aberdare magistrates on two charges of making false entries in drivers' record books and four charges of permitting drivers to work excessive hours.
The company's transport manager, Roy W hitcombe of Ebbw Vale, explained that one driver had failed to bring in his log sheets for three weeks despite repeated demands for them.
Eventually the driver produced a book from which three weeks records were missing and he (Whitcombe) helped him out by giving him destinations and dates from his own day book.
Whitcombe said he signed the sheets after the driver had entered the times. and added: "I realize now it was a foolish thing to do, but I thought that if I did not I would not be able to produce anything at all."
Another driver had been paid overnight allowance for a journey to London but instead had visited his mother in Gloucester and had been caught out by a silent check.
Both drivers had been discharged as a result of the offences. Mr F. Parfitt, managing director of the company. agreed with his solicitor, Mr Russell John, that there were no other convictions before the falsification of entries, and he was certainly not aware of that at the time.
He would not have permitted it had he known that Mr Whitcombe. who had been with him for 20 years and was trusted implicitly, had provided records from guesswork.
The LA, Mr R. R. Jackson said that the magistrates obviously took a serious view of the offences and he did too. "Within this relatively small company the managing director and the transport manager have shown a great lack of supervision" he added.
He decided to reduce the margin of the licence from eight vehicles and 16 trailers to an authorized seven vehicles and 10 trailers and to suspend one vehicle for a period of six months.