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Defective steering results in court fines
Page 24
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USING A VEHICLE that had detective steering has cost MidCheshire Pallets £1,005 in fines.
The Winsford-based company pleaded guilty before Macclesfield Magistrates to using a vehicle when the steering gear was not properly maintained.
The court was told that in May, the 17-tonne vehicle concerned was stopped in a roadside check on the A556 at Rostherne.
The truck was loaded up and was undertaking a return journey to Winsford, via Manchester and Wakefield.
Upon examining the vehicle, it was found there was excessive movement in the steering joint and that the joint was in danger of separation at the offside first axle track rod end.
An immediate prohibition order was issued to the vehicle.
In the opinion of the vehicle examiner, the defect was a long standing one, and that it would have been present at the time of the last safety inspection, which had taken place approximately two weeks previously.
Due to the severity of the defect, the vehicle required recovering from the site of the check with the front wheels lifted from the ground.
The driver, Thomas Dixon, had said he was employed on a parttime basis by the company and also that he had conducted a walk-round check of the vehicle that morning.
The magistrates fined the firm £750 and ordered it to pay £240 prosecution costs, as well as a victim surcharge of £15.