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Pugh warns DSH

14th March 1996, Page 25
14th March 1996
Page 25
Page 25, 14th March 1996 — Pugh warns DSH
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Keywords : Tachograph

after £8,000 fine

• Stoke-on-Trentbased DSH Freight Services escaped with a warning when the company and its transport manager appeared at a Birmingham disci plinary inquiry following convictions for unauthorised use and drivers' hours and tachograph offences.

The company, of Mobberley near lean, had been fined £8,000 after being convicted by the Cheadle. Staffordshire, magistrates of 10 offences of permitting drivers to drive excessive hours, take insufficient rest, failing to keep a tachograph record, and eight offences of the unauthorised use of vehicles.

Its transport manager, Shaun Hughes, of Draycott Old Road, Forsbrook, Stoke-on-Trent had been fined 12,000 after being convicted of 10 offences of aiding and abetting drivers to drive excessive hours, take insufficient rest and fail to use a tacho chart.

For the company, Michael Carless said Galawise Transport, of which Shaun Hughes had been the principal director, had gone into liquidation in September 1993.

Before that, David Hughes, his son, had started the business of DSH Freight Services. He was eventually granted a licence in November 1993, by which time the limited company had already been formed. Its application for a licence was not submitted for some time as they were trying to resolve the issues in David Hughes' application first.

The company's administration manager was also off sick for six weeks. The company was eventually granted a licence in December 1994 and David Hughes' licence surrendered. The fact that the company and Shaun Hughes were being prosecuted was made known to the Commissioner.

The essence of permitting and aiding and abetting was knowledge, said Carless. The company and Shaun Hughes still maintained they had no knowledge of the offences being committed by the drivers. A month's tachograph charts had been analysed and four of the nine drivers employed at the time were found to be in default. The lady who had been responsible for checking the charts had left the previous month.

They were saying that the drivers were at fault, said Carless, particularly two drivers on a run to the West Country. The company had thought that contract was running like clockwork but it was not. Instead of stopping for rest, the drivers had been sleeping in the moving vehicle.

Shaun Hughes said that the charts were now sent to an outside agency for analysis each week. He had suspended three drivers in the last year for tachograph offences.

Severely warning the company, West Midland TC John Mervyn Pugh said it would be unfair to take any other action.

Things had clearly not been as tight as they should have been over the checking of tachograph records, but action had been taken to tighten things up.

It was very nearly two years since the offences and there had been no further offences since. He warned that if there were any further tachograph offences it would be the end of the company and Shaun Hughes' repute.


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