PUBLIC INQUIRIES HELP FIRMS CLEAN UP THEIR ACT
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PUBLIC INQUIRIES (Pis) can provide "positive wake-up calls" for haulage firms that have let their maintenance standards slip, road transport lawyer Jonathon Backhouse claims.
Speaking at a legal seminar last week, Backhouse, partner at Backhouse Jones solicitors, said the majority of people who appear at Pls are not the "cowboy operators" often portrayed, but "perfectly decent individuals".
He adds that of the 50 Pls he has been involved with in the last year relating to maintenance, 70% of them could have been prevented by drivers paying more attention to defect reporting and walk-round checks.
"A PI is not a test of roguishness, and the reality is that the rogue element in the industry is relatively small," Backhouse explains. "Driver defect reporting is very difficult to get right, but the TC wants to know why it has happened and what you are going to do about it.
-A P1 needn't be the disaster you think it might be and your company can often come out of the experience better."
Backhouse says one operator he represented at a Pl "transformed" its operation after the hearing by overhauling its systems. He adds: "The boss of this firm said to me that being called to PI was the best thing that ever happened to him as it forced him to address his business in a really positive way."
Examples of improvements often made as a result of a PI include putting in place more
robust maintenance systems, getting an outside consultant to review tachograph charts, or making CPC training better or more frequent, says Backhouse.
"API can identify management weaknesses, and getting new people into a business can also bring a fresh perspective."
James Tillyer, project manager, consultancy, at the Freight Transport Association, says Pls put the spotlight on firms that consistently fail to maintain six-weekly inspections or have not adhered to simple maintenance procedures.
He adds: "We would certainly recommend the outcomes of Pls are taken seriously and that firms take advantage of them to review operational procedures."