Yorkshire check on cowboy tankermen
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by Derren Hayes • More than 20% of water tankers stopped in a spot check in Yorkshire were running without 0-licences, says the Vehicle Inspectorate.
Seven out of 33 tankers stopped at Gildersome, near Leeds, had no 0-licences, says the VI, which is carrying out the checks with police, customs and Department of Social Security officials.
The 600-tanker drought relief operation in Yorkshire is now being managed by Exel Logistics and the VI is carrying out a series of checks in the county after receiving information about tankers running illegally. 0-licence regulations, drivers hours and vehicle safety laws are all alleged to have been broken by some operators.
VI senior traffic officer Wayne Perriman says that problems arose when Yorkshire Water's contractors had subcontracted work on to other operators: "As more and more subcontractors were brought in it became easier for the cowboys to slip through the net," he says. "We were receiving information that some drivers would be doing five days' general haulage work in the week and then driving the water tankers at weekends to make extra money. They could get away with it because they didn't need tachographs, only logbooks because of the type of job this is." (CM 14-20 Dec).
The checks were carried out before Exel began implementing a vehicle and driver monitoring system. Exel says: "Before we take on any tanker drivers they must have all the correct documentation, without it they simply won't get accepted."
Li Exel has confirmed some subcontractors will be laid off from the tanker operation as it scales down for Christmas, but most will be offered the option of new contracts direct with Exel in the New Year. • To make sure it keeps tight control on the Yorkshire Water tankering operation Exel Logistics has taken over the man t of all owner-drivers, representing up to half oacetree::00 tankers being used. Until now the main tanker operators' contracts were with Yorkshire Water, with work being subcontracted to smaller hauliers.Now subcontractors will be contracted directly to Exel. P&O Roadtanks was running up to 100 sub-contractors on the drought relief operation; now it only has its own fleet of 50 vehicles on the job. "As for as we know all our subcontractors have been given the option of being transferred to Exel,” it says.