Tacho charts recorded only part of journey
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• Some missing mileage on its tachograph charts cost Pine Products £395 in fines and costs. The company, of Siddow Common, Leigh, pleaded guilty to four offences of being the user of vehicles when the drivers failed to use their tachographs, and to two offences of failing to produce tachograph records.
Prosecuting before the Leigh, Lanes magistrates, Michael Bakker said it was a case of missing mileages. The drivers were only putting charts into their tachographs after they had covered some miles. The finishing destination on Michael James chart for 10 February was shown as Leigh, but on the chart for 11 February his place of starting was shown as Rugby.
On 2 March his finishing destination was shown as Derby, but on the chart for the following day his starting place was shown as Leigh. On Alan Shepphard's tachograph charts there were discrepancies totalling more than 200 miles.
Defending, Bob Toppin said he had a degree of sympathy with
haulage companies trying to earn a living and having to comply with such complicated regulations which he described as an absolute and utter nightmare.
In this case the managing director of Pine Products had issued instructions to the drivers about compliance with the regulations; a copy of the regulations was available to them. The company was not aware that drivers were failing to comply with the regulations until the charts were analysed by a police officer. The system had since been improved.
The magistrates fined the company 50 per offence with 195 costs.