Makers maintenance scheme inadequate, says examiner
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• Two vehicles were removed for a period of one month from the licence of B. E. Barrett Transport Ltd, Luton, when the company appeared before the Metropolitan LA on Wednesday under Section 69.
Mr J. W. Atkinson, a vehicle examiner, said he carried out two inspections, on February 3 and 12, when nine vehicles were examined. Of these vehicles four were issued with GV9s, three immediate and one delayed. The faults included serious brake defects as well as other chassis faults and oil leaks on the Bedford boxvans.
Mr Atkinson also said that he had not considered the maintenance schedule being used, the Bedford 365 Guardian system, to be adequate without modification, either in frequency or the number of items to be checked. The recommended service intervals for the system were every 6000 miles. In addition, he said, the facilities for servicing Barrett's vehicles were inadequate. The servicing was carried out at the garage of B. E. Barrett Ltd, an associate company, which was a garage with car sales, servicing facilities and petrol sales. The area was cramped by customers' cars parked in the garage which made the manoeuvring of the company's lorries almost impossible for pit inspection. The one pit, added Mr Atkinson, was not long enough or adequate for under-chassis inspection.
Mr II. E. Wilson, director of the company and the garage, said that as a result of the advice of Mr Atkinson the maintenance system had now been changed
to the one recommended by the RHA and servicing inspections were now carried out every 2000 to 3000 miles. He considered that the condition of the 15 vehicles was now much improved while two of the older vehicles which had been issued with GV9s had now been replaced.
The LA, Mr D. I. R. Muir, said he was satisfied that there had been a considerable lack of maintenance and since Section 69 was a penal part of the 1968 Act it was not sufficient to say that something had been done to correct the situation.