Vehicle condition 'terribly low'
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• In a written decision, following a Section 69 inquiry at Lincoln on May 31, the East Midland LA has directed that two vehicles should be deleted from the nine-vehicle licence of S. T. Belton Ltd, of Boston, Lincs.
The company had been called following nine immediate and 19 delayed prohibitions since the beginning of 1970. There were five skilled fitters but the vehicle examiner believed that only one of these looked after the vehicles, the remaining four being engaged on the maintenance of the plant and machinery, the hiring of which was the main part of the business of the operator.
The vehicle examiner felt that although the inspections could have been carried out satisfactorily they were not being done and this was confirmed by the fact that two immediate GV9s had been issued on eight vehicles inspected between January 24 and February 17 this year. Repair work was also done by drivers and the standard of vehicles presented for 0V9 clearance was "terribly low".
Mr C. M. Sheridan, the LA, concluded from the evidence that periodical preventive maintenance inspection of neither vehicle nor trailers had been carried out.
An application had been refused in August 1970 and it was not until December 1970 that a licence was granted and this was on the understanding that a proper system of maintenance had been introduced.
The vehicles to be deleted consisted of one which had been sold for scrap and one tipper vehicle to be specified by the operator.