Island timber merits more
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• John Thomson Construction has been granted additional vehicles to meet the demands of the Isle of Arran timber trade, despite being warned by Scottish Licensing Authority Keith Waterworth, to improve its vehicle maintenance standards or risk losing its licence.
The LA was also considering the renewal of the licence, with a proposed increase in authorisation from six vehicles and two trailers to 18 vehicles and 20 trailers. However, he was only prepared to grant a renewal for 12 vehicles and 10 trailers for 12 months.
Waterworth said that he was particularly concerned about the series of prohibitions issued which were endorsed "neglect", and about failures in the record keeping. It was clear that serious faults had been building up over the past few years, said the LA.
Department of Transport vehicle examiner David Scullion had given evidence earlier of a series of prohibition notices imposed on the company's vehicles and trailers over the past 41 years. He felt the problem was poor quality of inspection and repair and a failure by drivers to report defects.
Managing director lain Thomson admitted the company had encountered staff problems over the past three years. Based on an island with a resident population of 4,000, it was not always easy to get the right staff, he said. He felt that he now had staff of reasonable quality and he hoped the system would improve. Drivers had recently been issued with letters pointing out their responsibility for reporting defects on the appropriate forms.
For the company, Michael Whiteford said that it employed 50 islanders, including three mechanics and a third-year apprentice. Out of the 10 vehicles currently operated, only three left the island on a regular basis. Due to the low mileages, the 6,000-mile inspection limit was never reached and the company would be changing to a time period for inspections.
The Freight Transport Association had been asked to inspect the company's vehicles four times a year and to monitor the maintenance work being carried out.