Firm 'lucky' to escape revocation
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• Called to a public inquiry under Section 69, for the second time, a Dudley, Wares, haulage company was told that it was very lucky not to have had its 0 licence authorizing six vehicles completely revoked.
The court heard that in September last year, L. Wooldridge Ltd, of Burton Road Garage, Dudley, had received a licence curtailment of one vehicle for two months after the LA had heard reports which suggested that there had been a breakdown in the company's maintenance arrangements.
At last week's hearing, Mr N. Carless, representing L. Wooldridge, told the LA that the defects which had brought about the three GV9s and one immediate and one delayed prohibition notice which the inquiry was concerned about, could have occurred within the few weeks or so between vehicle inspections.
It was stated that at a roadside check earlier this year a vehicle was stopped and examined and an immediate GV9 imposed in relation to nine defects, three of them said to be serious. Following this incident, a further check was carried out and another delayed prohibition and two defect notices were issued.
Giving evidence, Mr L. Wooldridge, managing director, told the LA that the vehicles received regular monthly checks and inspections and that proper maintenance records were kept. Two skilled mechanics were employed and drivers reported defects in a book provided for this purpose.
Mr Wooldridge went on to say that when defects were discovered on inspection, they were repaired immediately and, he added, the vehicles which were attracting the prohibition and defect notices had all been inspected only a matter of weeks previously.
Mr J. Shufflebotham, the deputy West Midland LA, said that as the firm had been called under Section 69 once before the case was very serious. In different circumstances, he would have revoked the licence completely. However, as it was obvious that the operator realized the gravity of the matter and had taken stringent measures to improve maintenance arrangements he would be more lenient. Mr Shufflebotham decided to curtail the six-vehicle licence by suspending two vehicles for a period of four months.