Still responsible
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• An operator remains responsible for the maintenance of all vehicles specified on his licence, even when they are no longer being used on the road, said Eastern LA Brigadier Compton Boyd. R G Long Transport of Shipdham, Thetford, was before him on disciplinary proceedings in Cambridge.
Vehicle examiner Brian Walker said that one of Long's vehicles had received a delayed prohibition during a roadside check in June 1989. In September, police officers undertaking a weight check noticed a severe oil leak from the same vehicle. They escorted it to Norwich Test Station, where it was given an immediate prohibition listing 10 items.
Director and transport manager Richard Long said that since the company had appeared at disciplinary proceedings in 1988, £100,000 had been spent on new maintenance facilities.
He had another firm which operated site vehicles. Following the issue of the delayed prohibition he had decided to take the vehicle off the road, because it was getting old, and put it on site work in Norwich. It was not inspected from that . point as there was no intention to put it back on the road, On the day in question, the driver was working close to the public road when a police car stopped and had a look at it.
The LA accepted that the vehicle had been taken off the road, but pointed out that it was still specified on the company's licence until December.
Taking no action except to issue a warning, Boyd said that Long had been a little naive to let something like that happen when maintenance was so critical to an operation.