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Hours offences lead to licence suspension

31st January 2008
Page 24
Page 24, 31st January 2008 — Hours offences lead to licence suspension
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DRIVERS' HOURS and tachograph offences have led to the licence held by Dazzlehurst Civil Engineering being suspended for 20 days after the company agreed to reduce its vehicle authorisation to the two in possession. The company had been called before Western Traffic Commissioner Sarah Bell.

Driver Ryan Gribbon pleaded guilty to 14 sample charges of exceeding 41/2 hours' driving without the required breaks; he was fined £500 with £115 costs. The company was fined £1,000 with £148 costs for permitting the offences. Driver Vince Garton pleaded guilty to six offences of falsifying tacho charts and was given a 12-month conditional discharge because of his financial circumstances.

If MD Chris Gribbon had driven on the days the charts suggested, he did not hold the required vocational entitlement. He said he had not known he needed to apply for reinstatement of this entitlement following a driving ban for drink-driving.

He added that he usually checked the charts but he had been unwell for a year and standards had slipped. The problems arose when the firm was awarded a contract involving night work. It coincided with Grib bon's illness so Garton was running things day to day. He had been unaware the drivers were failing to take their 45-minute breaks.

Transport consultant Stephen heaps said most of the problems were -down to ignorance". He had provided driver training and was checking all the charts and downloads.


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