Demolition vehicles should be checked every night LA
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• It is essential that haulage contractors engaged on demolition sites and motorway construction ensure that their vehicles are subject to far more frequent inspections and attention than is necessary for vehicles engaged in much less heavy forms of transport work.
This was said by the Yorkshire LA, Maj-Gen Sir John Potter, at Leeds on Friday, when he curtailed the licence of Andrew Fielder (Yorkshire Stone) Ltd, demolition contractors, of Plaintree Road, Bradford, Yorkshire, by two vehicles after hearing evidence that under Section 69 five prohibition notices, four of them immediate, had been issued against vehicles operated by the company since 1969 and that there have been two other convictions, one for using a vehicle with defective brakes and the other a defective tyre.
Mr Norman Bates told Maj-Gen Potter that he had now been brought on to the board as a director in order to ensure that the vehicles were kept up to standard. He alleged that defects in past years had not been reported by "the labourer-driver type of employee" they had engaged because in demolition work "these people are not professional drivers and they don't care two hoots about the vehicles".
It was extremely difficult to get demolition workers who were also experienced hgv drivers, said Mr Bates, who also claimed the vehicles of firms engaged in this type of work were more prone than any other to defective tyres and body damage. His firm had spent £700 on new tyres last year on its seven vehicles. The firm now intended to go over to new skip vehicles which would be subject to less damage. One had already been purchased and another was on order.
Warning the firm that in the type of work it carried out a visual vehicle check should be made every night, Maj-Gen Potter said he was satisfied that despite bad slip-ups in the past it was now clear the firm had learnt from its mistakes. "I am satisfied that you have got the message and have taken urgent steps to get your house in order." The LA said that in the view of this, should the firm require over and above the five vehicles it was left with, it could apply again in four months time for additional lorries — but only after another inspection had taken place.