Welsh owner operator stays banned
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• A South Wales owner operator's HGV licence has remained revoked because convictions for drinking and driving and driving while disqualified did not set a very good example for his 12 lorry driver employees.
South Wales Licensing Authority Ronald Jackson said this when he refused to lift an order revoking the HGV driving licence held by Brian Chilton of 71 Hafordarthen Road, Llanhilieth. Chilton is managing director of Brian Chilton and Sons.
For Chilton, Geoffrey Williams said that he had been a lorry driver for a long time and he had started in business as an owner driver about 13 years ago. He drove lorries regularly until disqualified from driving.
He had driven about 3,200km (2,000 miles) a week on average and was never involved in an accident.
If Chilton's HGV licence was restored he did not intend to be a full-time long distance lorry driver.
His job was to run the company, but he did wish to retrieve standard trailers, shunt and help out in an emergency when drivers are ill or suddenly unavailable.
In evidence, Chilton admitted he had been convicted of drinking and driving in 1982 and was disqualified for one year. He said that there was a spot check ezrly in the morning when he was driving his wife home from a party and he was only slightly over the legal limit.
Questioned by Jackson, Chilton agreed that he was also convicted for failing to supply a specimen at the same time as his conviction for driving while disqualified.
He also agreed that there was a further conviction on the same date for driving a vehicle while uninsured.
Jackson said it cut no ice with him at all when a professional driver convicted of a drinking and driving offence told him he was just driving a car.