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£2,000 fine and licence cut
Page 31
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for permitting offences
A Polish driver who spoke little English was given a booklet on the
hours regs which was written in English. Mike Jewell reports.
TWO ASSOCIATED COMPANIES have been fined £2,000 and had their licence authorisations cut by four vehicles for 10 weeks after a public inquiry heard they had permitted a range of drivers' hours and tachograph offences. These included allowing a Polish driver with little English to break the 41/2hr rule 13 times. It was the directors' second public inquiry since September.
Holloways of Oldbury, which holds a licence for eight vehicles and 10 trailers, and Cassadron Garages, with a licence for five vehicles and five trailers, had been called before West Midland Deputy Traffic Commissioner Roger Seymour.
Traffic examiner Helen Key said she had carried out an investigation after a Holloways vehicle driven by a Polish driver, Lucjan Wadrzyk. was checked in Cambridgeshire.
Wadrzyk had driven for 5hr 45min with only 30min break. I le could not be interviewed at the roadside as he understood little English. An analysis of 305 tachograph charts revealed 110 offences including 88 centrefield errors and omissions. One chart had been left in the tacho for more than 24 hours and there were 21 drivers' hours offences. Transport manager David Coleman had committed two 41/2hr driving offences.one daily rest offence, one daily driving offence, and 37 centretield offences.
Wadrzyk had committed 13 41/2hr hour driving offences. When interviewed with the assistance of an interpreter, he had said he had come to England in September 2005. He had difficulty in finding his delivery locationsThe company had given him a booklet about the drivers' hours rules but it was in English.
Each company was fined £2,000, with £350 costs, for permitting drivers' offences.
When interviewed, director Matthew Holloway had said the tachograph charts were checked when handed in by the drivers and a random selection was sent for outside analysis four times a year. Key agreed this was not a case of seeking to avoid the drivers' hours and tachograph rules. Instead the problems involved slackness in checking charts and in any follow-up action. She added that there were no obvious signs of training.
Michael Carless, appearing for the company, said the drivers had since been on a full day's RHA training course.
Holloway said every tachograph chart was now sent for outside analysis: vehicles had been stopped since these incidents and there had been no problems.
Coleman remarked that they needed to get a grip on situation but the Deputy'IC said it was "a bit late in the day" for that. Holloways had appeared at public inquiry last September and there was no indication that what occurred on that occasion had been taken seriously. It should have got a grip on the problem before it came before him today.
The DTC cut each licence by two vehicles for 10 weeks and suspended Coleman's LGV driving licence for five days. •