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VI crackdown catches out multiple firms and drivers
Page 22
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A major Vehicle Inspectorate investigation at the Manchester Containerbase has led to a number of hauliers and drivers being fined for the falsification of tachograph records and drivers' hours offences.
Drivers from three companies stood before Rochdale magistrates following the VI's Operation Neptune.
Driver Jeffrey Banks working for Gary Pullen, trading as GBR, had assumed a false identity in order to get work. He pleaded guilty to eight offences of falsification and eight of obtaining money by deception and asked for another 96 offences to be considered.
Another of Pullen's drivers, David Phelan, told the court that he had felt under pressure to exceed his hours from both his boss and the customer, logistics giant Securicor Omega. He admItted seven offences of falsification.
Pullen himself pleaded guilty to eight offences and driver Shane Rowlandson pleaded guilty to four offences.
Prosecuting, John Heaton said that the offences had come to light when gatehouse records and other documents were compared with the tachograph records. It became clear that Banks had adopted the identity of another driver, William McSweeney, whose driving licence he had acquired.
He then went on to obtain employment with a range of employers in Manchester using this identity to cover a drink-driving conviction.
In the course of his employment Banks had routinely falsified tachograph records. He was being prosecuted for that and for obtaining £15,000 in wages by deception.
The magistrates adjourned sentence pending reports.
Heaton said that when Phelan was interviewed he had said that he and the other drivers had felt under pressure to reach a target of £1,800 per vehicle per week. Pullen was fully aware of the way that they were working, he added.
For Phelan, Andrew Woolfall said that he had feared losing his job if he did not make the weekly target. He made no personal gain. Phelan had also felt under pressure from the customer, Securicor Omega. He felt he was being given work that they knew could not be done lawfully. An investigation had s been carried out by Secur Omega and a traffic clerk been dismissed.
Fining Phelan £2,450, £200 costs, the magistr said that the hours he had ven were horrendous. In case he appeared to have ven two shifts end to end was very lucky that he hac killed himself or somebody For Rowlandson, Jt Backhouse said there were four offences over a three-rr period. There was no pen gain and apart from one occt where about 300km involved, the distances wen substantial. Rowlandson di any particular pressure froi employer and had offende his own initiative.
Rowlandson was fined with £200 costs. The rr trates adjourned consider of Pullen's sentence for a m