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'Sloppy operation' shows up paperwork inadequacy
Page 18
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A Cumbrian haulier who ran "an incredibly sloppy operation", and accidentally threw away his maintenance records, has had two vehicles and five trailers cut from his licence.
Seascale-based David and Margaret Hope, trading as JC Hope & Son, had been called before the North Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Elizabeth Perrett at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry.
Vehicle examiner Matthew Grieve said that since April 2000, one immediate and four delayed prohibitions had been issued to the firm's vehicles and trailers, many relating to brakes. He carried out an unan nounced maintenance investigation in July, inspecting two vehicles and two trailers and issuing one defect notice. There was no driver defect reporting system, and inspection records for the last 15 months could not be produced: David Hope claimed that he and his ftter had thrown them away by mistake.
For the firm, David Chant said that the partners intended to plead guilty to three offences of using a vehicle with a disconnected speed limiter before the Isle of Anglesey Magistrates the following week.
David Hope said the vehicle involved in the three speed limiter offences was E-registered. and he had not realised it needed a limiter as they were not in force when he bought the vehicle. They had replaced the automatic slack adjusters in response to the brake defects, said Hope. and had not had a prohibition since May 2002. Previously, drivers only submitted defect reports when they found a fault—a daily nil-defect reporting system was now being introduced.
The DTC had commented that it appeared that prior to July, Hope had run an incredibly sloppy operation: Hope said he felt that that was unfair. Cutting the licence to five vehicles and five trailers, the DTC said that the business had been in existence for a number of years and it had only recently attracted prohibitions. Significant improvements had been made since the vehicle examiner's visit. However, she would not be happy to see the firm operating seven vehicles and 10 trailers.