North East Farmer's licence curtailed after eleven 6119s
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THE LICENCE of North Eastern Farmers Ltd for 38 vehicles has been curtailed to 32 vehicles by the Scottish Licensing A uthority.
The company was called before the LA under Section 69 last week, because of two immediate GV9s and nine delayed GV9s on 11 of its vehicles.
Mr Ian M. S. Park, solicitor for North East Farmers, told Mr B. Birnie, the LA, that the company, a farming co-operative, had its main base in Aberdeen but also operated from branches at Portsoy, Wick, Iinverness, Brechin, Elgin, Lerwick, Kirkwall and Keith.
So far as the vehicles which were found to have defects were concerned, most of them had been in fact operated from branches, which made it difficult for the transport manager and the managing director to have full supervision. Seven of the vehicles concerned in the GV9s had since been disposed of under the firm's replacement programme. Mr Park said that the defects had in fact come to light during a time when the company was engaged on a fairly substantial programme of reorganization and replacement.
Mr Gordon Morrison. transport manager, said that the company's vehicles were maintained by a number of garages. Under this systemthe firm got better service because each garage had to keep up a good standard or it would lose the work. A system had been introduced whereby each vehicle was tested every two months instead of at the end of each 5,000 miles. This was found to be most satisfactory as each vehicle was now being tested more often than previously.
In reply to a question from Mr Birnie about the serious defects on one of the vehicles, Mr Morrison said that this one had just been transferred from Inverness when the defects had been discovered.
Mr Morrison saidi firm had serious diff in the Inverness because of the I labour shortage in th It had hired and lo drivers in that depots year and had now bought a vehicle of three tons for it, be vehicle of that size require a heavy vehicle driving licenc Mr Birnie said I taking a lenient view case but warned repr tives of the company the matter seriously. appeared before him he would deal with much more severely.