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Haulier awaits IC's verdict for drivers' tacho offences
Page 22
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Dkehampton-based Bryan Haulage has appeared before Western Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown after 34 of its drivers were prosecuted in 1999 for tachograph offences.
Senior traffic examiner John Prime told a Bristol disciplinary inquiry that a number of tachograph charts contained 'lull-scale deflection", showing that the power supply had been interrupted. In many cases there were 1-6km gaps in the odometer readings between the finishing point and the starting point on the next chart.
The company had been prosecuted for hours and tacho offences in 1997/1998. In view of that history he felt that it ought to have picked up the missing distances on the charts.
Operations manager Keith Hodgkiss said the company had used self-employed and agency drivers. However, following an agreement with the Inland Revenue the
status of the self-employed drivers had been changed. There had been problems with tachograph charts not being handed in and agencies failing to return them.
The company no longer used drivers from outside agencies, Hodgkiss added, having set up its own agency, Blue Chip Co. Drivers signed on as temporary drivers and had to sign a contract, he reported. The way in which the drivers were paid had been changed, with their tacho charts now being compared with their time sheets.
Tachograph analysis was now handled in-house and if infringements were found they were brought to the drivers' attention, The firm had set up a driver training school in February 1999 at a cost of 1750,000. Of the drivers that had been employed in 1999, there were only one or two left.
Asked if there was any explanation for the missing distances, Hodgkiss said he could only hazard a guess that drivers had used their tractors to go and get something to eat, or vehicles had been used for shunting in the yard.
The TC is to announce his decision in writing.