Haulage firm warned over broken u
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A Cheshire haulage company which failed to keep to an undertaking that vehicles would not reverse into or out of its operating centre has appeared before North Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Patrick Mulvenna at a Middlewich disciplinary inquiry.
Rootes Transport, of Sandbach, Cheshire, holds a licence for two vehicles and 12 trailers.
Traffic examiner Peter Edwards said that in 1998, following a licence application by the company, the local council had complained about the site at the Brook Lane Industrial Estate as vehicles had to reverse in or out because of a single entrance. However, the site was accepted on condition that a second entrance was built.
Edwards visited the site in September 1999 and spoke to a driver who told him that vehicles had to reverse out of the site as the top gate was not in operation. In October he spoke to director James Roote, who said the top gate was kept closed for reasons of security.
He made a further visit in February to find the top gate was still locked. He was told by a fitter that it would be difficult to use it because of a parked trailer. Edwards concluded that the company had been given plenty of time to make the site a reasonable operating centre.
He agreed that tyre marks seen when he visited the site the previous day showed that both gates were now in use.
Rootes said the company was effectively now a one-man band as he no longer employed anyone. As an ownerdriver, time was of the essence but he had done his best to get on with improving the site as quickly as possible. He was away a fortnight at a time and in the two days he was back in this country the vehicle had to be serviced. Conceding that the top gate had not been brought into regular use until now, Ratites said a vehicle had been stolen and he had been told by the police and the insurance company that the gates should be kept locked. He had spent £10,000 on improving and clearing up the site and the top gate could now be used without any problem.
The Deputy IC commented that it was important to ensure that operating centres were used safely. He took no action but warned that if a similar situation arose in the future the probable result for Rootes would be dire.