Kettlewell: fewer vehicles, less time
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• The number of vehicles authorised on the licence held by Kettlewell (Retford) has been reduced from 22 to 19.
Eastern Traffic Commissioner Brigadier Compton Boyd reduced the duration of the licence so it expires by the end of the year, an application for four additional vehicles was refused.
A vehicle examiner gave evidence that though a fleet check in November had been reasonably satisfactory, with only one vehicle receiving a delayed prohibition, four vehicles presented for annual test had received immediate prohibitions and two others failed their tests.
Managing director Aubrey Kettlewell said he was not going to make "wishy washy" excuses. One vehicle had cracked an injector pipe on its way to the test station. On two others, the brakes had just not been adjusted properly. The fourth vehicle had been out on a job and had blown a tyre, seriously damaging the underside. Repairs were carried out but there had been no time to clean up the vehicle. A defective air compressor would have been found if they had had more time.
The company was extremely successful and the biggest stumbling block had been a lack of time to prepare for the test because of a shortage of vehicles. This meant vehicles had had to be operated while they had been undergoing preparation for testing.
The number of maintenance staff had been increased, the fleet was being updated and Kettlewell said he expected the company would begin moving into larger premises at the end of March.
Brigadier Boyd said the situation in regard to vehicles presented for annual test was quite appalling. He felt it was a question of a lack of management and organisation compounded by a relatively successful company running before it could walk. The company needed a strong organiser. Though he was satisfied Kettlewell had a future, he was not satisfied it could properly look after its present fleet at the moment.