OVERHAUL THAT NEVER WAS—
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BUT HAULIER PAYS PENALTY
IT HE brakes did not hold on a slight slope and there could have been a pile up in the Mersey Tunnel, said the North Western Licensing Authority, Mr. C. R. Hodgson, at Manchester last week, when he suspended for 28 days the vehicle of a Liverpool company, which made a plea that it had not been guilty of negligence. A. Hughes and Sons (Haulage) Ltd. had been called before the LA under Section 178 of the Road Traffic Act, 1960.
A Ministry vehicle examiner, Mr. H. Birch, said that on February 14 he stopped the vehicle at the entrance to the Mersey Tunnel and found the handbrake ineffective, and the brake servo housing open and likely to affect the working of the brakes. The brake pedal was fouling the floorboards, there was twice as much play in the steering as there should have been, the foot pad was missing from the accelerator and trailer lights were also missing. He issued an immediate prohibition notice.
Mr. W. Hughes, managing director, said the company operated some 20 vehicles on A and B licences and they were regularly maintained. The vehicle in question was handed over to Garlick, Burrell and Edwards for a complete overhaul and was returned on the day it was stopped. In reply to the LA he said he did not think it necessary for their own fitter to give it a check-up on return.
The body shop manager of Garlick, Burrell and Edwards, Mr. J. E. Milburn, spoke of the vehicle coming in for general repairs and getting no farther than the body shop. It had been cleared from there and the lack of liaison between body and mechanical departments was unfortunate. When the foreman of the body shop had finished with the vehicle, Hughes and Sons were told it was ready.
Mr. G. H. P. Beames called attention to the substantial amount expended on maintenance and that what had happened was clearly a case of misunderstanding, not negligence. If one took one's car to a garage it would be expected that any repairs were
complete. Garlick, Burrell and Edwards were second to none for repairs, and it was a "sporting" attitude for them to come along and say that something had gone wrong and that it was not Hughes to blame. It Wok courage to come and say that, added Mr. Beames.
Mr. Hodgson said this was not the case of a small haulier, as Hughes and Sons had a large fleet. He would have thought the company would have taken steps to see that the vehicle was in order. It seemed strange to him that the 0V9 was not yet cleared and he could not understand the action of the driver, who should have known the condition of the vehicle in a few minutes. The suspension would operate from the time the GV9 was discharged. His final comment was: "Let this be a warning to others".