Turner defers action
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• South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Brigadier Michael Turner has deferred consideration of disciplinary action against Kings Cross-based European Express Cargo until he has seen pay records he has asked the company to produce.
Traffic examiner David O'Donnell told an Eastbourne public inquiry that an examination of the company's tachograph charts showed its drivers had committed 78 alleged offences between August and October last year. Lorries had travelled on ferries without it being recorded on the tacho charts and the distance recorded on journeys overseas was consistently 104 5 `'.) below what it should have been. On one occasion a vehicle had been stopped by French police and the driver tined for exceeding hours' limits. A former European Express driver had told him that it was common practice for drivers to hand in charts without names on the centre field.
For the Vehicle Inspectorate, Bruce Weir said there had been a number of occasions when the company's vehicles had operated in the UK untaxed or when the correct rate of VED had not been paid. Vehicles had operated for up to six months without tax. So many instances of untaxed vehicles suggested the company was in financial difficulties.
Weir said there had been two VED convictions, but on most of the other occasions no action was taken because the arrears of duty had been paid.
After Brigadier Turner had commented that according to the tachograph records one vehicle completed a journey between London and Southampton and on the same day completed another Journey in France, director and transport manager Brian Jackson said he had simply filled in the wrong dates on the charts.
For the company, Brian Newell said the situation had been put right. Tachograph record monitoring was now in the hands of an expert company. Unforeseen circumstances had affected the company's finances, but there had been no loss to the Revenue. At no time had the company sought to avoid paying vehicle excise duty, and all its vehicles were now properly taxed.
The allegations made to the vehicle examiner by the former driver were strenuously denied, said Newell.