VI boss calls for inquiries decision
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• by Charles Young The Vehicle Inspectorate has admitted it does not know whether public inquiries or magistrates courts are the most effective way of dealing with unscrupulous operators.
Maurice Newey, chief executive of the VI, has told CM that work still needs to be done to decide this "important issue" once and for all.
Newey believes that hauliers in some areas of the country are more likely to be brought before a public inquiry if they flout the rules, whereas in other areas they would have found themselves before the magistrates. "We have a 97% success rate with our own prosecutions," says Newey, "but the fines are derisory and often they are not the best way of stopping people breaking the rules. Most hauliers would prefer to find themselves in a magistrates court. It's something we need to continue discussing with the Traffic Commissioners."
Newey's comments follow a CM report of an employment tribunal which examined the circumstances leading to the sacking of a senior traffic examiner in 1998 (CM 30 Sept-6 Oct 1999).
The examiner, Bob Harper, had championed the public inquiry route and had received praise from the then chief executive Ron Oliver for his success.
But he was also accused of being one of the worst performers in the country because he had too few "performance points" awarded for successful prosecutions in court. Harper's subsequent dismissal was found by the tribunal to have nothing to do with the conflict and was upheld.
In 1993 Harper tried to bring Travellers Coach Company to a public inquiry because he sus
pected it of breaking the hours rules. But his recommendation was overruled because the V1 wanted to follow the magistrates route. This failed, and a coach belonging to Travellers subsequently crashed, killing 10 people. An inquest later found that the driver had exceeded his hours (CM14-20 Oct 1999).