Lack of MoT leads to 48-hour suspension
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NORTH EAST traffic commissioner (TC) Kevin Rooney has suspended the O-licence of skip hire firm Martins of York for a 48-hour period after one of its trucks was found to have no MoT.
At a public inquiry (PI) in Leeds, the TC heard how the vehicle was stopped in November 2011 with its MoT found to have expired more than six months earlier.
The firm was later convicted for the offence at Beverley and the Wolds Magistrates’ Court.
However, the firm failed to disclose the conviction itself, prompting a maintenance investigation by Vosa, at which three vehicles were prohibited.
Vosa’s assessment found that vehicles had missed routine safety inspections on regular occasions, with these sometimes being extended to 14 weeks, while defect reports completed by drivers did not record repair work carried out to rectify those problems.
At the PI, the firm’s directors gave commitments to provide additional training for drivers and its transport manager, as well as an external audit of maintenance and driver records. TC Rooney suspended the firm’s licence between 7 and 9 December.
A lucky escape
As a most serious infringement and one of the so-called seven deadly sins, the lack of a valid MoT could have led to a loss of repute for the business. On this occasion, the TC stepped back from making that finding.