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Licence curtailed
Page 26
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• The duration of the PSV Operator's Licence for 19 vehicles held by Durham Travel Services, of Houghton-le-Spring, has been cut by North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Frederick Whalley so that it expires at the end of next March.
The firm had been called before the Commissioner following prohibition notices imposed on its vehicles and speeding by its drivers.
Evidence was given by a Department of Transport vehicle examiner that in the period between February and July, five immediate prohibitions had been issued on Durham Travel's vehicles. The stated inspection period of three weeks had occasionally been extended to four weeks.
For the company, John Backhouse said it was wrong to suggest the company had knowingly operated dangerous vehicles. Three of the prohibited vehicles were not in operation carrying passengers when the faults were discovered, and the other two suffered latent defects.
Engineering director Eric Bowerbank said it inspected its vehicles on a mileage basis, and three weeks had simply been the time interval he had expressed. For most vehicles, the mileage interval meant more frequent inspections. However, four weeks was used as a "back stop" for low mileage vehicles.
Whalley said that after one of the company's vehicles had been seen to be speeding on the Al trunk road, a traffic examiner analysed 75 tachograph charts. Twelve appeared to show that the speed limits had been exceeded on 12 occasions by nine separate drivers.
Managing director Peter Lee said the majority of the work was scheduled timetable services for National Express. Drivers found to be speeding received two written warnings before dismissal. He was satisfied that, with the exception of one driver, these had been isolated instances.
Bowerbank said the company was in the process of fitting speed limiters.
Whalley said he did not feel that it was a case where a penalty was appropriate.