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Suspension and fine for operator who 'dangerously' overloaded vehicle
Page 35
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AN OPERATOR who dumped fruit and vegetables at a weighbridge site after his 3.5-tonne vehicle was found to be seriously overloaded has had his threevehicle licence suspended for seven days.
Paul Martin, trading as Allfresh, of Fleetwood, Lanes, had been called before North-Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell.
In April, Leyland Magistrates ordered Martin to pay fines and costs totalling 12,648 after he was found guilty in his absence of exceeding the permitted firstaxle weight by 57.7%, the permitted second-axle weight by 65.5% and the permitted gross weight by 104.9%.
The court had been told that Martin unloaded the excess at the weighbridge site, leaving behind 50 sacks of potatoes, 10 sacks of onions, 16 boxes of bananas, 76 boxes of tomatoes and quantities of mushrooms, courgettes, beans, melons, cabbage, lettuce and soft fruits (CM 27 April).
The TC said Martin had a history of overloading even before his licence was granted. She had never dealt with such a serious overload and Martin was lucky not to be prosecuted for using the vehicle in a dangerous condition.
She asked Vosa to ensure that the weight of all vehicles operated by Martin, including those under 3.5 tonnes, were regularly checked and to bring to her early attention any further instances of overloading.