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Public Inquiry adjourned as manager is on holiday
Page 29
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Agency transport managers have been criticised again after a Public nquiry had to be adjourned because an operator's transport manager was apparently on holiday, Keith McGuinness, trading as KMC Transport, of Bolton, had been called before North Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Mark Hinchliffe at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry.
Hinchliffe expressed his disappointment at the nonattendance of the nominated transport manager, Colin White, of North East Tachograph Services. For McGuinness, David Chant explained that White had a precooked holiday.
The DTC said there was Currently concern and increasing scepticism over whether the use of agency transport managers was good practice. The present case was one that gave rise to considerable concern—White was making a number of unhelpful allegations about McGuinness.
Vehicle examiner Stephen Lyon reported on the issue of two immediate and two delayed prohibitions, plus three variation notices, one for a serious maintenance failure, between March and November last year. The DTC commented: "It is an absolutely staggering prohibition history for one vehicle and one trailer."
Lyon said that he had carried out a mainte nance investigation in February and the vehicle was in a satisfactory condition. However, the inspection records were unsatisfactory in a number of ways. Mileage had not been entered and there was no roadworthiness declaration. The stated inspection period of six weeks had been extended to between 11 and 14 weeks and the frequency shown on the wall planner was 10 weeks.
Disputing White's claim that he and McGuinness met four times a year, Chant said that the only time his client had met White was to sign the agreement when the licence was first granted. McGuinness simply sent tachograph charts and maintenance sheets to White for checking and paid him £100 a month.
During 2001 he had been unable to contact White, although he was still getting his invoices. Eventually White had contacted him and claimed that he had had problems with his telephone and answer machine.
Adjourning the proceedings so that White could attend the Public Inquiry where his repute would be considered, the DTC said that the case illustrated the difficulties that could arise when an operator relied upon an agency transport manager located some distance away. The factual Conflict between McGuinness and his transport manager needed to be resolved, he added.