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1 • Maryportbased V Thompson (Haulage) has been granted a licence with a much reduced authorisation than was asked for after concerns over maintenance were raised.
The company admitted its record for collecting prohibition notices had worsened this year.
North Western Licensing Authority Martin Albu also heard that a director of the firm was convicted in February for permitting drivers to drive excessive hours and take insufficient rest.
Albu authorised 20 vehicles and 45 trailers out of the 30 vehicles and 50 trailers applied for.
The company, formed to take over the business run by Victor Thompson, said it had operated for months without interim authority.
But Thompson said the firm's maintenance system, owned by a separate company called V Thompson (Commercials), had been revised. Pressure on the workshop as a result of outside work had been reduced after one of its major customers decided to undertake its own maintenance and the drivers' bonus scheme was now linked to defect reporting.
Trading conditions were now better, said Thompson, and he was negotiating with customers for a slight uplift in rates.
Granting the licence, Albu said he was satisfied that maintenance arrangements were now satisfactory.