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Suspended licence 'hanging by the slightest of threads'
Page 34
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A NORTH-EASTERN agricultural contractor has had his licence suspended for a second time over maintenance shortcomings.
Sedgefield-based Roy Humphries had been called before the North-Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Elizabeth Penett. She ordered that his licence be suspended for a week while he obtained proper driver defect-report forms and watched the Vosa DVD about daily walk-round checks — and told him it was hanging by the "slightest of threads".
Humphries holds a restricted licence for one vehicle. In 1999 the licence was suspended for 12 weeks and he was given a final warning because of vehicle maintenance problems.
Vehicle examiner Gordon Whittaker said that in August last year the vehicle was given a delayed prohibition for three defects. During a maintenance investigation in November he imposed an immediate prohibition for a missing fuel tank filler cap. A maintenance contract signed in 1999 for two years had not been renewed. There were only four inspection records for the past 15 months. The records were not properly completed, there were large intervals between inspections and there were no driver defect reports.
Humphries agreed that in 1999 he had undertaken to introduce a planned maintenance system,including the use of driver defect-report books. He now had a contract with a commercial garage through to 2007 and checked the vehicle over every time it went out.
After Whittaker said that he had given Humphries the booklet A Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness and the DVD Cheek It Out in November, Humphries said he did not have a DVD player.
The DTC said that if Humphries was quickly able to prove he had obtained proper driver defect-report forms and watched the DVD, she would lift the suspension early.