Three traders curtailed
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• Three own-account operators had their licences curtailed by the West Midland LA this week when each appeared under Section 69 in Birmingham. The companies were Solihull Fruiterers, Thermoplastics Coatings Ltd, and C. C. Cooper Ltd.
Solihull Fruiterers' licence authorized two vehicles of which one was in possession. The vehicle was regularly maintained by a local garage, explained Mr Duffield, a director, but when a vehicle examiner inspected the vehicle six faults were found, and this in spite of the fact that the vehicle had only that morning returned from service at the garage.
Mr Duffield said that as a result of recommendations from the vehicle examiner monthly schedules were now being completed and after discussions with a director of the garage he had been assured of good service in the future. All the faults found by the vehicle examiner had been rectified by the garage free of charge and immediately.
The LA deleted the margin of one vehicle from the licence and pointed out that it was the responsibility of the holder to look after vehicles and the operator could not evade this by "shelving" it off to a garage.
The second case involved the five vehicle licence of Thermoplastics Coatings Ltd, of West Bromwich, Mr A. K. Pierce a vehicle examiner, had first visited the company in July 1970 when he had given guidance about 0 licensing. When he revisited the company in May this year he found it
impossible to identify any of the vehicles to which records referred.
Mr P H. Hart, sales director of the company, said that since the second visit details of vehicles were now kept in individual files. One of these files was shown to Mr Pierce in court and he confirmed that he was satisfied with the new arrangement.
The LA curtailed the licence by removing the margin of one vehicle and also deferring for four weeks the grant of a fourth vehicle to be acquired by the company.
C. C. Cooper Ltd, of West Bromwich, was the third company to appear under Section 69 when its licence authorizing six vehicles of which five were in possession was considered. Mr Pierce was again the vehicle examiner in the case and he said that after a visit in July last year it appeared that records had not been kept and this was discovered by him on a second visit in May this year.
Mr R. Johnson, the transport controller, said in evidence that he had recently taken over the control of transport from the previous controller who had become ill. He had, he said, now corrected a system which had been rather vague in the past. Servicing was now done regularly by two garages.
Mr Else curtailed the licence by removing the margin of one vehicle and also removed from the licence one of the specified vehicles for one month. The LA said that as in the previous case the company had had the benefit of advice from the vehicle examiner a year ago but not much had been done about it by the company.