Transient problems
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cut licence duration 1 • Scottish haulage firm Van Lee Transport has had the duration of its licence reduced by 12 months — and Licensing Authority Keith Waterworth has warned the company that he would normally have taken stronger action following four immediate prohibition notices. The licence now ends on 31 December 1993.
Waterworth accepted that Van Lee's maintenance problems were transient. Department of Transport vehicle examiner David Gold said the prohibitions had been imposed on the Glasgow-based company, which has a licence for 12 vehicles, between May and September last year. Defects found showed that quality of in spection and repair was low, with intervals of up to four months between inspections.
For the firm, Michael Whiteford said that it had been in business for 20 years with a previously good record. The prohibitions were imposed at a time when owners Alexander and Christine Vance were moving house, moving their operating centre and building a new workshop.
A new driver defect reporting system had now been put into effect, and the partners had signed a contract for the Freight Transport Association to monitor standards with halfyearly vehicle inspections.
Waterworth said that it was an odd situation. The firm's vehicles were reported to be in a highly satisfactory condition prior to the renewal of the Ii
cence in January 1990, but there was a terrible downturn a few months later. It was not just a case of a rogue vehicle, but of a general fall in standards. He would have thought that a warning letter issued after the first prohibition would have "rung the alarm bells", but things appeared to have deteriorated.
Alexander Vance said standards suffered because his time had been divided between premises, but by November they had been up and running.