Andy Sauter is a Vehicle Inspectorate vehicle examiner working in
Page 48
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Area 18, which covers Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Leicestershire and Rutland. His working week didn't include a single day stood beside the road with the police inspecting HGVs...
Monday
Return to work after the Christmas break. Into our Kettering office to deal with any messages that have arrived during the break via e-mail and the post. In the afternoon I keep on appointment with a Bedfordshire operator: the Eastern Traffic Area (ETA) has requested that a maintenance investigation is carried out. The investigation takes the form of an inspection of the vehicle, maintenance records and systems as well as the maintenance facilities—and, of course, parking and access. No problems with this operator's maintenance so a satisfactory report can be returned to the ETA.
Visit a site in east Northamptonshire. An application has been received for a new MoT testing station. Not much to see at this stage but the plans and proposals are discussed. Back to the office to check on some details. Sift through the maintenance requests from the ETA to see if a visit to an operator is required. If the operator has had enough satisfactory roadside inspections and no other problems the maintenance may be assessed as satisfactory: this avoids unnecessary disruption to the better operators. The ETA often requests a maintenance investigation after an operator has been operating for a few months. This ensures that everything is working as it should be, and if it is not to correct it before things get too far out of hand. One request is for a follow-up visit to an operator who had some problems at his first inspection. I arrive unannounced during the afternoon to find all the previous problems have been sorted out.
Wednesday
Arrive bright and early, as arranged, at a garage in east Northamptonshire to carry out a routine practical assessment of a nominated (MoT) tester. Also carry out a routine inspection of the testing station, checking the equipment and the records including the calibration certificates. Everything is in order—it's much easier for us all when it is—and so back to the office and, you guessed it, more paperwork!
Thursday
Visit an operator in Bedfordshire to carry out a maintenance investigation. Things are not quite as they should be. The operator is not using a drivers' defect reporting system, and the intervals between his maintenance inspections are much longer than they should be. This is possibly because he does not have any forward planning system. I expect that in a few months I will get another request from the ETA for a follow-up investigation. It is now up to the operator to put his house in order. If the problems have not been rectified then it could mean a trip to Cambridge and a public inquiry. The operator can then explain to the Traffic Commissioner what has gone wrong.
Friday
Bedfordshire again. Starting with a maintenance investigation at a family-run haulier. No problems, so on to a coach operator for his very first maintenance investigation, and also to give some advice. After that, a visit to a nearby MoT station; after all I don't want to do any more miles than I have to. Then off to a different office—somewhere out the way where I can catch up on the endless paperwork in relative peace. It's time to leave work and head for home. First week of the year over and not a disgruntled lorry driver in sight...not this week anyway.
• If you would like to be featured in Working Week fax Nicky Clarke on 0181 652 8912.