Sammy Jones tacho decision awaited
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• Sammy Jones (Contracts) has to wait to see what action West Midland Licensing Authority Ronald Jackson intends to take against it as a result of the falsification of tachograph records by some of the company's drivers.
The Aldridge-based corn pany, which holds a licence for 34 vehicles and 40 trailers, appeared at disciplinary proceedings in Birmingham following the conviction of 20 of its drivers on 73 charges of making false entries and 42 charges of breaking the drivers' hours limits.
Harry Forrester, for the company, said that in 1985 it had taken on a substantial contract moving containers for a shipping firm based in Fleetwood.
The vehicles were double shifted. The drivers were instructed to telephone in at the end of their hours so that the night driver could be taken out to the vehicle. Instead they had been putting a second chart in the tachograph purporting to belong to the night driver The falsifications were almost undetectable by the company's computerised checking system and only came to light as a result of information received by the Department of Transport.
Transport Manager William Cooper said charts were now sent out for analysis. Supervision of the contract concerned had been tightened up and the new hours rules meant that few changeovers were now required.
Reserving decision, Jackson said he required to see a copy of the company's disiplinary procedure before he could he satisfied it had taken all reasonable steps to ensure its drivers complied with the regulations.