Maintenance
Page 44
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I am responsible for over 30 large vehicles on contract hire to leading companies of household products. I am appalled at the utter stupidity that appears to be evident by people in authority in dealing with maintenance and the forthcoming laws covering the use of unsafe vehicles.
All that seems of importance in many instances is that vehicles work seven days per week, and 52 weeks per year.
How many transport managers are being pressured into pushing their vehicles to the limit, simply to add the extra pound into the pocket of a sales director, who can sit back and say when something goes wrong: "I am not responsible for maintenance. You are"!
Besides hoping for a little more sensible co-operation between maintenance departments and transport offices, I also hope that when the new laws come into force, a new type of transport manager emerges: a man who can say "No Sir; it can't be done today", without his tongue in his cheek. Probably workshop managers, like myself, and vehicle owners, could then keep to their work schedules and feel a little less frustrated when vehicle X ought to have had its brakes relined, but find it's been sent away only on a mere trip to, say. Scotland or on a similar "short" run.
Let's endeavour to keep a safer Britain by a little less greed.
M. T. HUSSEY, Reading, Berks.