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'Immediate steps' following prohibitions save licence
Page 18
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Offending operators are often told that if they clean up their act no action
will be taken against their licences; here's the proof. Mike Jewell reports.
A NOTTINGHAMSHIRE haulage firm has proved that taking prompt action when warned by the licensing authorities can save your business. Kirk by Ashfield-based Maurice Hill Transport had been called before North -Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom 1VIacartney at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry following the issue of five S-marked prohibitions indicating serious maintenance failures. But the company, which holds a licence for 60 trucks and 160 trailers, escaped with a formal warning after the TC heard steps had been taken to rectify these
problems. Vehicle examiner Henry Smith told the TC that he had carried out a maintenance investigation following the issue of an immediate S-marked prohibition
at the roadside in December 2005.
He examined one vehicle and four trailers, issuing one delayed and two immediate S-marked prohibitions. Of the 18 prohibitions issued in the past five years, 17 had been issued in the past three years. he reported.
Five of the prohibitions issued since January 2005 had been Smarked most of the prohibitions had been issued to trailers for brake. wheel and tyre defects. A lot of the trailers seemed to be quite old and did not have self-adjusting brakes. MD and transport manager Maurice Hill said the company carried steel,and trailers often had to stand on site for long periods. The maintenance facilities were five years old, with one bay reserved for Vosa. Things had started to go wrong in May 2005, he added. Following the issue of an S-marked prohibition that month,
a meeting was held with the drivers and the firm put a second mobile fitter's van on the road.
Since December, in addition to engaging a consultant engineer to audit the systems and train the drivers and fitters, they had appointed a safety officer. Within the next 18 months they would have replaced most of the older twin-axled trailers with new triaxle air-suspension trailers with selfadjusting brakes.
The TC said clearly something had gone seriously wrong but immediate steps had been taken to put matters riglat.He was impressed by these steps-and if he had been aware of them earlier, he doubted if the company would have been called to a public inquiry. However, he warned that if the company slipped back again he would have to take a more serious line.