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Formal warning' over hours' offences

16th April 2009, Page 25
16th April 2009
Page 25
Page 25, 16th April 2009 — Formal warning' over hours' offences
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A HAt .LIER HAS escaped with a formal warning after its drivers breached the drivers' hours and tachograph regulations. Welsh Deputy Traffic Commissioner Lester Maddrell was impressed by steps the company had taken to put matters right.

The offences occurred at the Cross Hands depot of NR Evans & Sons. The company holds a licence for 83 vehicles and 86 trailers.

In 2004, the then Traffic Corn rnissioner curtailed the licence to 50 vehicles and 75 trailers for six weeks following widespread and serious tachograph offences.

Evidence was given that VOSA had found 10,000 kilometres unaccounted for on the analogue tachograph charts, For the company, James Backhouse said that it employed some long-serving drivers and also used agency drivers.

Vehicles might be driven by more than one driver in a 24-hour period. A driver might use more than one vehicle during a shift, typically of four days.

The employed drivers underwent a two-day induction course, of which part was spent on training in drivers' hours and tacho graph rules. Refresher training was also carried out.

Changes in rules about how long drivers should retain charts in their possession had caused problems.

When drivers finished their shift, they handed in their analogue charts so they could be digitally scanned.

The copies were kept by the company and the charts were returned to the driver if he needed to keep them.

Vehicle digital units were downloaded every four weeks. For a reason that was never established, three vehicle's units were not downloaded.

Further changes and improvements had been put in place as a result of the VOSA investigation.


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