STOKE OPERATOR'S VEHICLES SUSPENDED
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ALONGPORT, Stoke-on-Trent, haulier who had recently been fined more than £1,000 in respect of over 100 offences ,relating to drivers' records and hours, as well its a further seven charges concerning the use of an unauthorized vehicle over a period of six weeks. suffered further penalties before the West Midland Licensing Authority, Mr. J. Else, at Hanley on Wednesday.
Mr. G. Tinsdill, representing John Jenks who operated eight vehicles on A licence, said that Jenks had come to the public inquiry, held under Section 178 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960, with an attitude of regret. He does not seek to evade the issue and accepts he now has a record of conviction behind him."
Mr. Tinsdill said that in 1958 Jenks had been convicted on three charges and again in 1959 on a further six charges, On May 22, this year, he was summoned before the Stipendiary Magistrate for the Potteries concerning some 126 offences relating to unauthorized use of a vehicle. records and hours offences.
Mr. Jenks told the L.A. that he had given traffic to sub-contractors and had been let down. Ile did not wish to let down his pressing customers. As for the offences pertaining to incorrect records. Jenks said that the offences had taken place in the South West and he had not heard about them. In 1959 he had installed recorder clocks on his vehicles but had failed to remove the recorder sheets. He had been engaged on maintenance and loading work and as a result had failed to look after his business. As well as this he had no full-time mechanic and only a part-time office clerk.
Since his conviction in 1964 he had employed a full-time mechanic and office clerk. His 12 drivers were ordered to ring in every evening and he was taking full notice of the recorder sheets from the vehicles. Some of the seven drivers tined with him had now left and he had found new ones; he had posted regulations in all the vehicle cabs.
Mr. Tinsdill said his client was keen and ambitious and he was already paying lines for previous mistakes.
Giving his decision, Mr. Else said that he would ignore the convictions of 1958 and 1959 and deal only with the 1964 affair. The Act had been implemented for, among other things, the safety of the public, and permitting drivers to work excessive hours was a serious matter. Jenks would have one vehicle on one A licence removed for six months. He would be granted his application for a renewal of one other licence, but the grant would be deferred for six months and one vehicle on a third licence would he suspended for 12 months. The decisions would be withheld for two weeks pending the lodging of any appeal.