Convictions hit at root of licensing
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CONVICTIONS RECORDED against a number of Yorkshire operators engaged in Continental haulage, hit directly at the root of the licensing system. This was said by the Yorkshire deputy Licensing Authority, Mr N. F. Moody, at a public inquiry at York.
He was considering disciplinary action last Thursday, against the operators, Norman Lewis, With a licence for four vehicles and four trailers; Alan Lewis, with one vehicle and one trailer; Stanley Burden, with one vehicle and one trailer; and John Howard Barwise, with two vehicles. All the operators came from Selby. The deputy LA was also considering a variation application by Norman Lewis, to add four vehicles and four trailers to his licence.
The cases against Alan Lewis, Stanley Burden and John Barwise were adjourned.
Dealing with the convic7tions against Norman Lewis, Mr Kirkbright, defending, said the series of offences dealt with by Selby magistrates in July, related to EEC drivers' records on foreign operations.
A conviction for Unauthor ised use was not as serious as it seemed at first sight, maintained Mr Kirkbright.
Mr Norman Lewis said conviction for an axle overload resulted from having to replace a tractor which had broken down, with a heavier tractor. A conviction for failing to cause a current record to be kept, which arose out of the same incident, was due to a technical slip, the driver's record having not been filled in correctly.
Questioned about a GV160 prohibition placed on an overweight vehicle at Hull Docks, Mr Lewis said the articulated unit concerned was checked immediately after it had left a ferry.
It was his practice to change the heavy tractor for a lighter one before units left the docks, and on this occasion the unit was 'allowed to proceed after the tractor had been changed.
Mr Lewis said additional staff had been taken on to check drivers' records. He was seeking to increase his fleet because he was handling 10 to 12 loads per week to the Continent and at the moment was having to sub-contract two-thirds of the work.
Granting the variation application but suspending one of the existing vehicles for one month, Mr Moody said it was his view that the majority of the convictions bore directly on the licensing system and he regarded them as serious matters.