Second loss for Muir
Page 10
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Derren Hayes • Thomas Muir (Haulage) has had its Operator's Licence revoked for the second time in 18 months after Scottish Deputy Traffic Commissioner Keith Waterworth described its recent maintenance record as appalling.
The decision is the same as Scottish TC Michael Betts gave in May 1995 before the company made a successful appeal to the Court of Session to have the case reheard.
The firm has been called to public inquiries four times since 1992 for poor maintenance, operator and driver convictions.
It collected 51 inunediate and 28 delayed prohibitions in the past five years, and 19 immediate and nine delayed in the past 18 months, with four court convictions since May 1995.
The company, which runs 50 vehicles and 18 trailers from its depot at Randolph Industrial Estate, Kirkcaldy, Fife, has been refused a stay to continue operating should it appeal. Waterworth said many of the recent prohibitions had been for multiple faults rather than single defects.
He rejected Muir's claim that it is impossible to operate a preventative maintenance record because LGVs can go wrong at any time. He also dismissed its argument that faults arising through mechanic or driver error should not be the operator's responsibility.
He said: "I do not accept that it is either appropriate or proper to off-load blame on to individual employees of the company."
Earlier warnings and action against the licence had proved insufficient, he added, with improvements being implemented at the eleventh hour and having been too little too late.
Despite spending £450,000 last year on maintenance Muir's admitted it needed to change its approach and proposed to introduce a number of new measures. Waterworth said that if these were followed, the firm could apply for a new licence.