Lawyer wants police louse TCs' powers
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by David Craik Transport lawyer Stephen Kirkbright is urging police forces to give more evidence to Traffic Commissioners regarding offences committed by haulier's.
Kirkbright made the plea at a Worcester conference debating licensing and enforcement in the industry, as part of his call to Government to increase Hs' financial resources. He says TCs offer a "wider and more flexible range of powers than magistrates courts" and urges police to use them more.
Kirkbright also criticises the number of prosecutions made by the Vehicle Inspectorate and the police on drivers narrowly exceeding hours limits.
"This has no implication on road safety," he says. "If you inspect every haulage company in the land you will find small breaches of hours regulations."
Gerry O'Donnell, the administration director for West Midlands and South Wales Traffic Area Office, called on magistrates courts to increase the supply of information to TCs.
"We need to know relevant convictions, such as fraud and violent crimes," he says, • Dennis Beale, South Wales Area Manager of the Vehicle Inspectorate, says it is looking into why its new roadside laptop computer system is being heavily criticised by its own staff.
VI examiners are complaining that the laptops are forcing roadside checks to "grind to a halt' through the time taken to key in information.
Beale says the slowdown has meant the VI allocating one extra man to every roadside check. But he says the problems are not reducing the amount of vehicles the VI is stopping.