Newcomer gets licena despite GV9s
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NEWCOMER to perators' licensing, Sampons Mushrooms Ltd of L'hichester was granted an 0 icence for six months by Mr 3. C. Mercer, deputy South Eastern LA, at Brighton on ;riday of last week. ?rohibitions had been issued igainst the company's small vehicle fleet when the vehicle examiner made an inspection of the company's premises.
The company had asked for a licence for three vehicles, one in possession but because of the defects found in two of its four Transit vehicles Mr Mercer would issue a licence for only six months. A further examination would be made during the six-month period, said Mr Mercer, after which the company could apply for it to be extended.
Two vehicles were suspended for one month from the three-vehicle licence of T. A. Fieldwick, of Hailsham, after a 0V9 had been issued and refused clearance. One of the defects involved the mixture of crossand radial-ply tyres on the same axle of a vehicle.
Mr Fieldwick said that he had only had the vehicle a week after buying it secondhand and that it was diffi cult to detect the mixture of tyre types. Even the examiner had had difficulty.
But vehicle examiner M. J. Harrison told Mr Mercer that, as well, vehicle inspection records were virtually non-existent. Mr Fieldwick produced a letter from a commercial garage to support his claim that proper arrangements had now been made to maintain his vehicles.
Coal merchants and general hauliers, Barlow and Co of Brighton, lost four vehicles off its 13 authorized and 10 specified licence because of prohibitions, overloading and hours offences. There had been three GV9s in 1970, two in 1973 but no vehicle examiner was called to give evidence as the maintenance arrangements of the company were considered to be generally satisfactory. This was a fact which was drawn to Mr Mercer's attention by the representative of the company.
Mr V. A. Saxby, a partner in the. firm, said that the company was most particular about its vehicles and their condition. In .relation to the overloading convictions, these had happened on the same day and were caused by the drivers accepting the word of a timber depot foreman that the loads were as asked for. Indeed, it was possible that wettage had added to the weight of the timber.
So far as the hours offences were concerned, Mr Saxby admitted that he had not been as particular in checking log sheets as he might have been but he had since taken on more personnel to free him from routine work and enable him to check load sheets in greater detail. In addition, he had given drivers strict instruction to have their vehicles weighed since the overweight offences if they were in any doubt at all about the loads.