1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188 
Knowles must prove itself to TC
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
KN OWLES TRANSPORT'S licence has been cut by eight vehicles and 10 trailers until it proves to Eastern Traffic Commissioner Geoffrey Simms that it is operating"in a satisfactory manner".
The TC gave his decision after a public inquiry revealed a catalogue of offences committed by the Cambridgeshire company's drivers, including excessive speeding, hours offences, insufficient rests and overloading.
Simms dealt with 31 of the drivers, suspending most from driving for up to 10 weeks and revoking the licence of one. John G oodj ohn , indefinitely (CM 1 January). The TC said: "Knowles Transport has to rehabilitate itself with me. A sustained period of satisfactory operations has lobe apparent before I can permit the company to use an authorisation of the current magnitude." The cut from 44 vehicles and 65 trailers to 36 and 55 will take effect from 15 February.
However,some Knowles drivers believe the company's directors were lucky not to lose their repute and believe the drivers have been treated unfairly. One says:"[Drivers] are disgusted. Eight vehicles on a fleet that size is nothing.They are up in arms."
But one of his colleagues says Knowles should not have been punished at all: "This is just a case of holding [KnowlesTransport] up as an example. It's not fair, but it's not too painful."
Tony Knowles and manager John Barlow declined to comment.