Veteran firm loses licence
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A West Yorkshire haulier has lost his 0-licence after 32 years in the indus try. Wakefield-based Gilbert Chapple Haulage had its four vehicle/three-trailer licence revoked after its fourth disciplinary inquiry in five years.
North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartney disqualified the company and managing director Gilbert Chapple indefinitely.
Vehicle examiner Peter Craven said that since the last disciplinary inquiry in February, one immediate and two delayed prohibitions had been imposed on the company's vehicles. The fact that the company was still picking up prohibitions showed that it was still failing to meet the required standard.
For the company, Gary Hodgson said that the firm had
engaged a Road Haulage Association engineer to train the two directors and the sole employed driver on daily walkround checks and to carry out an audit inspection of the maintenance system in January.
Director Mark Chapple said the vehicles were repaired in the evenings and at the weekend. If a vehicle was seriously defective it was left in the workshop to be repaired during the day. We are not jeopardising maintenance to drive, in my opinion." he added.
His father, Gilbert Chapple, agreed that the company had a series of convictions for lack of two-yearly tachograph checks, the most recent being in October when it was fined £800. He also agreed that it had paid a mitigating penalty of £500 for using rebated red diesel.
Asked whether he had now moved into the 21st century after 32 years in haulage, Chapple replied: "Yes, I've moved out of the steam age."
Pointing out that there had been 21 prohibition notices and 13 variation notices over the past five years, the TC said: it is a sorry record for a fleet of this size. In particular, this operator has an appalling record of unsafe vehicles."