1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186 
'Pretty shambolie maintenance regime leads to licence cut
Page 37
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AWEST MIDLANDS operator,whose maintenance system was said to have "virtually collapsed", has had his licence cut from 12 vehicles to six.
Wednesbury-based Andrew Bayliss, trading as AB Skip Hire, had been called before West Midland Deputy Traffic Commissioner Roger Seymour.
Vehicle examiner Mark Jewess said he carried out a maintenance investigation following the impounding of a vehicle displaying an 0-licence disc belonging to Bayliss, but being operated by Anthony Baines who did not hold an 0-licence, He was told the disc had inadvertently been left in the windscreen when the vehicle was sold.
After examining a number of vehicles he issued an immediate S-marked prohibition (indicating a serious lapse in maintenance), a delayed prohibition and three defect notices. Three vehicles examined at the roadside led to an immediate prohibition and a delayed probibitionThere was a first-time failure rate at annual test of 95.24%. An annual test of one vehicle was abandoned because its condition made it unsafe to continue.Tvvo further S-marked prohibitions were issued in May.
Tim Culpin, for Bayliss, said the period between inspections would be reduced from six to four weeks with roller brake tests carried out at every inspection.
Agreeing that things had been "pretty shambolic", transport manager Stephen Ellis said he had been trying to cope with too much.
Bayliss said he had taken his finger off the pulse because of personal problems, which he shouldn't have done, The firm had gone down to eight vehicles to get on top of things. He undertook to follow the compliance manual provided by his solicitor.
Cutting the licence, the DTC said Bayliss had come very close to losing it. The maintenance system had "virtually collapsed", which would eventually lead to dangerous vehicles on the road.