Suspension will cut profits
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by Mike Jewell A Welsh haulier who is alleged to have committed more than 700 overloading offences has had his 0-licence suspended for three weeks to prevent him from winning a lucrative construction contract.
Dyffryn Ardudwy-based John Ceti Evans, trading as J&E Evans, was said by Welsh Traffic Commissioner David Dixon to have gained an unfair advantage over his competitors. He is alleged to have downplated his vehicles to save on vehicle excise duty.
The TC made it clear that the three weeks were chosen so they would affect Evans income from the 455 construction contract on the Isle of Anglesey, thus reducing the potential financial gain from his misdemeanours, Dixon also ordered a full maintenance investigation and a review of Evans' tachograph records at the earliest opportunity. lie said he expected full co-operation from Evans in those investigations.
Evans holds a licence for nine vehicles and nine trailers. An investigation into his company was launched when one of his trucks lest some wheels on the A55 on the Isle of Anglesey.
Enquiries revealed that six trucks had been downplated to 27 tonnes in March 1997, saving £1.617 a year in vehicle excise duty for each vehicle.
Evans had agreed to produce tachograph records but subsequently claimed that they had been put in the cab of a truck which caught fire.
Some 770 weighbridge tickets were produced at the hearing to substantiate the overloading allegations.
Evidence was given by a vehicle examiner that following the accident two immediate and four delayed prohibitions were issued to Evans' vehicles, two of which related to defective speed limiters. When submitted for clearance, two vehicles were given variation notices listing a further 13 defects (CM17-23 August 2000).