Driver pressed on after hours
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Drivers' hours offences have cost a driver employed by Bolton-based Gresham Bennett £780 in fines and costs.
Alan Gibson pleaded guilty before the town's magistrates to three offences of driving for more than 4,5 hours without taking the required break and to one of exceeding the daily driving limit. He was convicted of a further three 4.5-hour driving offences and one daily driving offence, all of which he had denied.
Prosecuting for the Vehicle Inspectorate, John Heaton said an examination of the company's tachograph charts last autumn 1998 had revealed a number of offences committed by the company's drivers.
Traffic examiner Sue Mullen said Gibson had driven for as long as 5hr 52min without taking the required 45min break. He had also driven for 10hr 45min and 10hr 38min in a day.
Gibson said that, in most cases, he had only just been over the limit He had been delayed in traffic and had difficulty finding somewhere to stop, He agreed that most of the hold-ups occurred some time before his break was due.
Heaton said it was clear Gibson would have had the chance to stop despite having run into traffic, but he had driven on. In one case, where he had claimed he had no opportunity to leave the motorway, he had travelled 35 miles. Twice, Gibson had been close to base and had chosen to drive on.
Gibson said that, in most cases, he had only just been over the hours limit
Gibson said that when he had joined the company he had been told that drivers were allowed 30 minutes extra to bring the vehicle back. He had assumed that the transport supervisor, Lee White, had known what he was doing as he had recently taken his CPC. He maintained the company had no facilities for checking charts.
Heaton pointed out that a professional driver should know the hours regulations, which were primarily there for road safety reasons.
The magistrates fined Gibson 1660 and ordered him to pay £120 costs.
They adjourned the hearing of charges against some the company's other drivers and allegations that the company permitted the alleged offences.