Maintenance contractor failed
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1 • Unsatisfactory maintenance led North Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Brian Homer to cut by three years the three-vehicle licence of Nottingham-based Robert Unwin, trading as j & R Transport
The licence will expire in February 1994 instead of November 1997.
Vehicle examiner Keith Bostock said J&R vehicles were not being maintained and operated in a roadworthy condition.
He issued an immediate and a delayed prohibition. The immediate prohibition was for steering and braking defects, all critical safety matters.
Robert Unwin said he complained to his maintenance contractor about the defects
found, and the contractor accepted that a number of the defects would have been present when he inspected the vehicles. The inspection periods had been reduced to six weeks and the vehicles were to be quality checked by the main dealer.
In reply to the Deputy Commissioner, Unwin said that if he had thought for one minute the contractor was not picking up defects he would have changed, but at the time he had confidence in him.
For Unwin, Stephen Kirkbright said that it was a serious matter when defects were found after vehicles had been inspected. Either the contractor would be changed or quality controls would be introduced. It was in Unwin's favour that he had acted on the vehicle examiner's recommendations and reduced the inspection periods.
Horner said this was a classic example of an operator with no maintenance experience relying on his maintenance contractor, and the contractor serving him badly. He was staggered that the contractor was still employed. Had this not been a new licence, more serious action would have been taken.