LA removes 32 unwanted vehicles
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• Taking into consideration the fact that Northern Haulage Ltd, of Drightlington, did not intend to take up more than six of the 38 vehicles which it was authorized to operate, Maj Gen Sir John Potter, the Yorkshire LA, curtailed the company's 0-licence under Section 69 of the Transport Act 1968, in Leeds last week, by deleting 32 of the 35 vehicles which had not been acquired from the licence.
Northern Haulage, which shares the premises of its associate company, Briggs Service Garage Ltd, had been called to the inquiry in connection with a magistrate's conviction relating to an over-loading offence and following an unsatisfactory maintenance inspection.
Giving evidence, the vehicle examiner, Mr A. Wilks, said that during the inspection, which was carried out on January 1 and 7, all three of the company's vehicles were inspected, one of which was issued with an immediate GV9. The remaining two vehicles were also found to have defects but these were rectified at the time of the inspection.
The garage space was taken up by private cars, there was no means by which vehicles could be examined from underneath and only one mechanic was employed on maintenance work.
Mr Wilks added that no maintenance records were produced by the company and, in his opinion, the condition of the vehicles was not consistent with a set maintenance system.
The secretary of Northern Haulage, Mr T. Price, told the LA that since the examiner's inspection a new system had been introduced whereby vehicles received regular preventive maintenance inspections. Records of the inspections and all work carried out on the vehicles and defect sheets were filed away for future reference.
The mechanic was now working solely on the commercial vehicles and it was his job to ensure that the vehicles were in a road-worthy condition at the end of the day.
On making his decision to curtail the licence, the LA warned the company that although the vehicles which were to be removed would not have been taken up he, the LA, would have taken similar action regardless of that fact.