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Maintainance hits fleet size
Page 31
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Maintenance problems stretching back over five years have led a disciplinary inquiry to cut a Darlington operator's fleet by one third.
WHEN DARLINGTON-BASED Ward Bros (Steel) appeared before North Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Patrick Mulvenna at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry he cut the company's licence from nine vehicles and four trailers to six vehicles and four trailers.
Vehicle examiner Geoffrey Flatters said he had examined two vehicles and two trailers during a maintenance investigation last November, issuing one delayed prohibition and two defect notices. Many of the inspection records were not completed properly Very few defects were recorded on the safety inspection records; he was told that defects found during inspections were rectified but not recorded.
Dates did not tally
The dates on the wall planner did not tally up with the dates on the inspection records, and inspections were not marked off as completed after they had been made. In the five years prior to Flatters' visit, five immediate and five delayed prohibitions had been issued to the company's vehicles and trailers, with six variation notices when vehicles and trailers were presented for prohibition clearance.
Since the November visit three more immediate prohibitions and one variation notice had been issued to the company.
The examiner agreed there had been some problems with the fitter the company had employed for 14 years. He was aware that Scania Darlington was taking over the maintenance of the vehicles and trailers.
Ward Bros MD Robert Ward Senior told the TC that the company had spent more than /800,000 on improving its premises. Some of the safety inspections carried out by their own fitter had not been recorded.The drivers were to be sent on an inspection course run by Scania.
The DTC said that in October 2001 a vehicle had been given an immediate S-marked prohibition for loose and missing wheelnuts and a deflated tyre:both the company and driver had been prosecuted. Problems had been found during a maintenance investigation by VOSA, which resulted in the company being sent a warning letter. There had been a flurry of pro hibitions in 2004, and he wondered why thinga had not been put right in 2001 and 2002.
Cutting the licence to six vehicles and fout trailers, Mulvenna said he had very little confidence in the management of the company': maintenance systems.
He had considered revoking the licence, bui decided that because of the measures now pu. in place the company should be given a chance to show that its systems were satisfactory an were being managed properly. But there had tc be a complete change in attitude towards tit( management of these systems.