Continuing maintenance problems have led to the revocation of the
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,icences neld by associated companies Ideal Waste Paper and United Fibres. Director Barry Thew was disqualified from holding an 0-licence.
The two south-east Londonbased companies appeared before South Eastern and Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Christopher Heaps. Ideal Waste held a licence for four vehicles: United Fibres was licensed for 12 vehicles.
Vehicle examiner Peter Lanckmans said of five United Fibres vehicles he had examined in the winter, two were issued with immediate prohibitions and one with a delayed prohibition. All three of the Ideal Waste vehicles examined were given immediate prohibitions.
Lanckmans said there was little evidence of preventive maintenance inspections between August and December 1999.
Since November 1995 United Fibres' vehicles had attracted 16 prohibitions for 11 immediate and 28 delayed items, with four prohibitions showing a significant maintenance failure. Since April 1995 Ideal Waste vehicles had been issued with seven prohibi tions. Many of the defects related to brake and steering problems.
Thew said he had been responsible for both fleets until February. He had no engineering qualifications and relied on outside contractors, but he agreed he had not checked the quality of the work: he had not checked to see whether prohibitions had been cleared; and he had not chased up outstanding paperwork. The maintenance contract had been terminated.
Transport manager Simon Scott said the vehicles were now inspected every six weeks with rolling-road brake tests every 12. A nil driver defect reporting system had been introduced and the vehicles were to be checked twice a year by the Freight Transport Association.
United Fibres and Thew are to appeal against the revocation and disqualification orders.