Hours case collapses after confiscated charts vanish
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• Tachograph charts intended to be used as evidence of drivers hours offences by Norfolk-based Adex Freight have been lost, a Cambridge public inquiry was told, Senior Vehicle Inspectorate Traffic Examiner David Rhys told the inquiry that in November 1994 he went to Adex's Downham Market depot to check tachograph records. Some had missing mileages which indicated hours offences, said Rhys.
He passed the charts on to eastern area traffic examiners but they haven't been seen since.
The catalogue of errors continued when evidence from VI district examiner Tony Goodwin had to be cut short because information on three prohibition orders against the company he had faxed to the eastern area had not been received. Goodwin told the inquiry that during a check of the company's Luton operating centre on 3 August 1994 an immediate prohibition was issued for maintenance problems on one of the firm's two vehicles.
He also highlighted problems in the company's maintenance checking and driver defect reporting systems.
Adex director Keith Allen said the firm now had a forward planning system for maintenance checks and a driver defect reporting system.
Deputy Traffic Commissioner Phillip Brown advised Adex to improve its drivers defect reporting system but took no action on the prohibition offence.