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Fleet cut in firm which told TC that its drivers 'did not care'
Page 34
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DRIVERS WHO "did not care" about defects, numerous prohibitions and 100% first-time failure at annual test have led to a firm's licence being cut from five to two vehicles for one month.
Rainham-based Freight Intermodal was appearing before South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Christopher Heaps. Vehicle examiner William Groves told the TC that since October 2002 nine immediate prohibitions had been imposed on the company's vehicles. Two of them were S-marked, indicating a serious. lapse in maintenance.
During a maintenance investigation last August only one inspection sheet could be produced for each of two of the three vehicles specified,and only two for the third vehicle.They were dated May and June 2003 and May 2004. In 2004 none of the firm's vehicles pass the annual test at the first attempt. Two vehicles were untaxed at the time and probably off the road.
Groves was told that the specified maintenance contractor was no longer being used — he had seen no evidence of a written driver defect reporting system.
Director Stephen Debruin said many inspection sheets had been lost when the fitter's van was stolen in March 2004. He could not explain missing inspection sheets for one vehicle between May and August 2004.
He accepted there was no driver defect reporting system, saying the firm had problems getting drivers to complete defect books.A system had been introduced from August 2004,enforced by a drivers' bonus system. He thought it unfair that failings by drivers should count against the company's licence and stressed that there had been no maintenance-related accidents.
Transport manager Keith Debruin said attempts had been made prior to August 2004 to introduce a drivers' defect reporting system hut the drivers would complete them for only a couple of weeks or so as they just "did not care". The maintenance contractor had been changed because of illness of the individual involved.
Appearing for the company, Jeremy Fear said it now had a grip on the situation.