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Managing director claims that police took tachograph charts
Page 19
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A Midlands haulage firm whose boss claimed that tachograph charts went missing during a raid by "30 armed policemen" has had its licence revoked for two years.
Additionally, Jeffrey Stevens, managing director at VVednesbury-based BJ Stevens Transport, was disqualified from holding an Operator's Licence for two years. The company's two other directors, Margaret and Maxine Stevens, have been disqualified indefinitely.
The company was called before the West Midlands Deputy Traffic Commissioner Roger Seymour at a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry. The DTC was also considering the repute of transport manager Douglas McMinn, and an application to increase the licence. The hearing had been adjourned at the beginning of July because the DTC wanted one of its directors to appear before him (CM17-23 July).
The DTC said there had been two unsatisfactory maintenance investigations and three warning letters. Prior to the last hearing there had been four prohbitions issued to the company's vehicles and one since. The company had also been convicted of overloading and of fairing to produce tachograph records, and was fined a total of £1,950 with £170 costs.
Vehicle examiner Michael Brown said he carried out two maintenance investigations and found various problems, including a lack of driver defect reports.
Traffic examiner David Dunham said the tachograph records were not kept in any order; only 105 tachograph records could be produced and at least 50,610km were not recorded; there were no tachograph charts for two vehicles.
Stevens told him there had been a break-in and documentation, including tachograph charts, went missing. In addition, tachograph charts taken by the police had not been returned, although the police denied this. Stevens subsequently claimed that charts had been destroyed when his premises were raided by "30 armed policemen".
Also, an unlicensed vehicle belonging to the company had been stopped in a check.
Stevens said he had not realised how important tachograph records were. Margaret and Maxine Stevens had nothing to do with the running of the business.
Making the revocation and disqualification orders and ruling that McMinn had lost his repute, the DTC said he could not be satisfied that innocent members of the public would not be put in danger if the firm's vehicles continued to run.