A haulier who admitted his father had driven for his
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firm without any understanding of the tachograph regulations has had his 0-licence cut from five vehicles to three.
Wirral based Ardenwell, trading as Pdq Temperature Assured Couriers, appeared before North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry.
The company had been operating two 18-tonners and some vans. Managing director Brian Brennan claimed he was very conscious of the dangers of having tired drivers, and his employees were not pushed too hard, even with the vans, which did not need tachographs. Tachograph charts were sent for outside analysis.
However, Brennan admitted his father had been driving one of the vehicles, but had not really understood tachograph legislation.
Brennan explained he had been trying to run the business, check the tachograph charts and be the main driver. He did not know how the charts came to be missing, but said he was able to keep the drivers within the regulations and the
customers happy by using sub
contractors.
Since the offences Brennan and the drivers had attended a training course run by the tachograph agency. He also told the TC he was considering taking a CPC refresher course. "When 1 took my CPC 20 years ago, transport was a different ball game," he added.
Cutting the licence, the TC said ft had been granted in November 1998 and the company had soon fallen foul of the EC legislation. The offences highlighted a problem the company would be foolhardy to ignore.
"I want your business to grow, but not at the expense of the drivers and road safety" she told Brennan.