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Incredibly negligent' operato waits for TC to decide its fat

2nd November 2006
Page 33
Page 33, 2nd November 2006 — Incredibly negligent' operato waits for TC to decide its fat
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After £6,000 of fines for hours offences, the TC may take action agair

the firm's 0-licence and the boss's repute. Mike Jewell reports.

A DERBYSHIRE OPERATOR faces action against its licence after magistrates imposed fines of £6,000 for permitting hours offences by its drivers.

Specialist bulk powder haulage company Kenneth Twyford appeared before the NorthWestern Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell, who was also considering the repute of its lanaging director and nominated transport anager Kenneth Twyford.The company holds licence for 21 vehicles and 21 trailers.

the -IC was told the company's drivers had "a lsilied tachograph records,exceeded 4.5 hours vithout the required break, exceeded the daily iriving limit and taken insufficient daily rest.

cale of the problem traffic examiner Caleb Moore said Twyford ppeared to be surprised by the scale of he problem that had been discovered. The ompany had been prosecuted on the basis hat it. should have known what was going on r that it did know and had -shut its eyes" to he obvious.

Twyford accepted that the company's system or analysing tachograph charts, using a ha ndeld analyser, had been wholly inadequate. He aid.he had been unaware that drivers had been falsifying charts. He admitted that the drivers concerned had not been disciplined.

They were now using the Stoneridge software system lOr analysing charts and a transport consultant had been engaged to train the drivers and carry out quarterly audits.

In reply to the TC, Twyford said he had possibly been -too soft" with the drivers.

Asked whether he had found out why drivers had been fiddling their tachograph charts, Twyford replied: "Not really." He added that the drivers had not been under any pressure and had not needed to do it. He agreed that the drivers had been paid a bonus so that the more the vehicle earned, the more the driver e.E For the company, James Backhousc there was no evidence that Twyford had knowingly involved in what had gone on." was no obvious financial benefit to the con and much had been done to put things rig Recklessness The TC said she would announce her de.ci writing at a future date. She added that th reason she would let the licence continu that she did not believe Twyford was dish However. she did bel ieve it had been incn negligent to the point of recklessness.


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