Greek firms await discipline
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Iwo Greek-owned Haulage nres are awaiting disciplinary action by Western Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown; two other Greek operators have to wait to see if he will grant them British 0-licences.
European Frigo Transport and Intafreight were called before the TC at a Bristol public Inquiry. At the same time he was considering licence applications by OAK Transport and Nikiforos Transport. All four share an operating centre in Abingdon.
Traffic examiner David Pomfrey said he had requested Euro Frigo's tachograph records but had only received records for three vehicles. Of the 210 records checked only one journey started in Oxfordshire.
For Euro Frigo, Peter Woodhouse said it had a licence for 12 vehicles with 10 in possession, of which five were in use. Its main work was in Southern Europe though there was some UK traffic. 'There is a genuine hope that it will be running in the UK, he said. Director and transport manager George Prentzas said he took over the company in May following the death of the previous owner and transport manager.
Pomfrey told the inquiry that his request for tachograph records from Intafreight was denied because office staff were on holiday.
After examining tachograph charts produced at the hearing, Pomfrey said that they all referred to journeys undertaken abroad and 12 of them revealed that drivers' hours offences had been committed.
Woodhouse said that Vasseleios Alexiadis was due to take over the transport manager's role from his father, whose long-term illness was responsible for some of the problems. The company worked exclusively for another company in Greece, which was setting up transit work in the UK.
"The reason for this company being based in the UK is that as soon as it is established it will be guaranteed business," said Woodhouse.
The TC was told that DAK Transport and Nikiforos Transport both intended to operate between the UK and Greece, with trucks returning to the operating centre every six weeks for maintenance checks.
Constable Stephen Pugh of Thames Valley Police said that he was concerned that none of the vehicles were being used in the UK.
Police officers had visited the operating centre and spoken to people there. From their accounts he concluded that it was not likely to be used and that both OAK and Nikiforos would be predominantly operating abroad.