Warned for prohibitions
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• A Staffordshire owner-driver, who collected four prohibition notices in his first 10 months' of operation escaped with a warning at a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry Rugeleybased Brian Keown, who was granted a licence in January in the face of police opposition (CM 5-11 Feb), appeared before West Midland Traffic Commissioner David Dixon.
Vehicle examiner Colin Morley said Keown's vehicle was given a prohibition in January for a defective speed limiter. That prohibition was not cleared until March. In May a further prohibition was imposed for three brake defects. Kemal told him he had adjusted the brakes shortly beforehand and that the slack adjuster must have wound off in service. As there was only excessive travel on one wheel, he accepted that explanation.
However; Keown admitted being aware that the trailer handbrake was inoperative. In July Keown's vehicle was given an immediate prohibition for a broken spring main leaf and a defective speed limiter. Morley accepted the spring leaf could have broken at any time.
The TC said a further immediate prohibition had been imposed in October for a defective tachograph and for the driver's seat being loose on its mounting.
Keown said he had a lot of problems with the speed limiter. The vehicle was sent to Mercedes which fixed it, but the tacho had stopped working an hour before he was stopped by the police in October. The seat was not loose as such; the ratchet at the back was broken and he did not consider that it had been dangerous.
The TC said he would settle for a formal warning on this occasion, but four prohibitions with one vehicle in less than a year was not very good, and was more than Keown should be getting. Though Keown had left it too long before sorting out the speed limiter, he did seem to be resolving the problems.
He will be asking the Vehicle Inspectorate to carry out a further investigation during the winter.