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Formal warning for Stobart over drivers' hours offences
Page 7
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A SENIOR EDDIE Stobart manager who was responsible for implementing procedures to tighten up drivers' hours abuses was breaching regulations himself by also driving for Whitkirk Produce, a company with "One of the worst drivers' hours offences this century", according to a Traffic Commissioner.
Despite this revelation, Eddie Stobart escaped with a formal warning for allowing some of its part-time drivers to take on extra work elsewhere and break the weekly rest regulations. The company appeared at a public inquiry following a Vosa investigation that included analysis of 26,000 tachograph charts and time sheets.
Vehicle examinerTtm Mihailovic said he found no culture of systematic hours abuse, but did discover that eight part-time drivers were failing to take the correct amount of weekly rest. Some of these drivers were also employed as LGV drivers elsewhere.
The company introduced a system to prevent this practice, but the man responsible for the implementation, Wakefield depot manager Andrew Solomon. was breaching the regulations himself by driving for Whitkirk Produce. This company pleaded guilty to massive tacho fraud in January (CM 19 January).
"Whitkirk had a terrible history," Macartney remarked. "It's a firm that I've personally seen driving up and down the roads of this country since their licence was taken away."
Solomon no longer works for Eddie Stobart, but the inquiry heard he is now transport manager for a firm linked to Whitkirk Produce. Macartney said Vosa would be investigating this firm shortly.
The 'IC concluded Stobart had been quick to clamp down on parttime drivers taking on extra work following the Vosa investigation; he felt this problem was unlikely to recur. However. he warned that he would not be so lenient on other companies who are found to be breaking the rules.
1 le issued a formal warning to the eight drivers.
christopher.tindall@rhi.co.uk