Boss's honesty wins him an extension
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The managing director of a scaffolding company who held a licence for more than 10 years, had not appreciated the importance of the 0-licensing system until one of his vehicles was found to have seriously defective brakes in April.
Warrington-based M Coleman Scaffolding was before North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry. The company was also seeking to extend its licence from two to three vehicles.
Vehicle examiner Stephen Wood said that in April he had issued an immediate prohibition notice for inoperative brakes and defective tyres, Two other vehicles were in the yard on the day of the inspection. One was off the road with a clutch fautt and the other was not specified on the licence. In 1998 the company was warned with regard to a lack of inspection records, driver defect reports, a forward planning system and a maintenance contract. The only difference now was that there was a maintenance contract. For the company, Frank Howard said that director Melvyn Coleman accepted that in the past he had not taken the 0-licensing system seriously enough. One problem was that the previous maintenance contractor had been 20 miles away The present contract was with a local firm.
Coleman was prepared to have fresh annual tests on each vehicle within 28 days, that they be inspected every 12 weeks, that copies of the inspection records be sent to the Traffic Area Office, and to introduce a weekly driver defect reporting system.
Granting the additional vehicle with a formal warning, the TC praised Coleman's honesty and willingness to accept that he had been wrong.