Shorter term pending review
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• Untaxed vehicles and prohibition notices led to Dudley Freight's licence duration to be cut, to expire at the end of 1995. The company, which holds a licence For seven vehicles and four trailers, was called before West Midland LA John Mervyn Pugh ot a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry. For the company, Michael Carless said thai all the fines, costs and back duty had been paid and all the company's vehicles were now taxed. Director Patrick Brickwell said that he undertook the maintenance of the vehicles himself; they were inspected every six weeks, within a day or so. Mervyn Pugh said that "within a day or so" was not good enough but Brickwell replied that if a vehicle was at Liverpool Docks, and the dockers said they would not load or unload it until the following day, there was nothing he could do about it: 99% of the time the trucks were inspected on the day due. Carless said the company had achieved a good result. There was only one prohibition for endorsed neglect, and that was very much open to question. Brickwell said the drivers were instructed verbally about reporting defects.
Mervyn Pugh said that was no good and believed that was why the company had been getting prohibitions—Brickwell agreed to write to the drivers pointing out their responsibilities.
Cutting the duration of the licence, Mervyn Pugh said this was not one of the worst cases he had seen, but he would want to see the company again before 1996 when the licence had been due to expire.