VI trouble leads to cut
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• A Trafford disciplinary inquiry has cut the number of vehicles and trailers on the licence of a Liverpool company which claimed to have run into trouble with the Vehicle Inspectorate.
JE Hardisty was called before North Western Deputy TC Brian Horner following an unsatisfactory maintenance investigation and alleged vehicle excise duty offences.
The company held an -01F-4 international licence for 25 vehicles and 60 trailers.
For the company, Jonathan Lawton said it vigorously denied that there had been any VED offences. This was the first time in the company's 19-year history that it had appeared before a court of any sort.
Vehicle examiner David Collings said that since September 1994, 22 prohibition notices had been imposed on the company's vehicles and trailers. In June he inspected four vehicles and five trailers, imposing one immediate and three delayed prohibitions.
The speed limiter of one vehicle had been deliberately disconnected and had clearly been in that state for some time, said Collings. There were large gaps in the frequency of inspections and he was told that was due to trailers being left at customers' premises for long periods.
In reply, Lawton said that he was unaware that the VI had complained to the dock police about the company's activities.
He challenged whether prohibitions imposed on trailers being hauled which did not belong to the company should go on its record.
Horner said that operators had always been responsible for the condition of trailers being hauled, whether they were owned or not.
Managing director John Hardisty said the company operated an inland Customs clearance depot and some 60-70% of its traffic consisted of hazardous goods.
It was accepted that the trailer maintenance had not been working well and the systems had been revised. Around 14 vehicles and 45 trailers were in active use.
Curtailing the licence to 20 vehicles and 50 trailers, Horner said it would remain at that level until the company's maintenance performance improved.