CPC agency failed to pass on tachograph charts
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• by Charles Young A company which offers to act as a transport manager for small hauliers is failing to check their tachograph charts despite charging owner-operators nearly £100 a month for the service. Weston-super-Mare-based Trans-Consult advertises in the trade press offering to supply transport managers who hold the requisite certificate of professional competence.
Trans-Consult director Alec Hayden, himself a CPC holder, pays a transport manager £30 a month for each truck that comes under his remit. The nominated tran sport man ager's name appears on the haulier's 0-licence and he is required to check the charts and maintenance records and ensure the drivers' hours regulations are being followed.
But Paul Bradley, a former transport manager for Trans-Consult, says that during the time he worked for Hayden he didn't receive a single tachograph chart to check, despite being named on at least three hauliers' 0-licences.
One of Bradley's hauliers says he sent charts direct to Trans-Consult last April but they were lost. This haulier began to store his own charts, rather than risk further losses, but finally sent some direct to Bradley after Bradley asked him where they were.
Two other hauliers say they are happy with Trans-Consult's service as they regularly sent their charts to Trans-Consult believing they were then forwarded to Bradley. They were surprised to hear that Bradley had never received the charts from Trans-Consult.
Bradley left Trans-Consult last February after a dispute over payment from Hayden and because he was concerned with the lack of tachograph checks. He concedes that he should have acted sooner when Trans-Consult failed to forward any charts.
Bradley has now written to the North Eastern Area Traffic Office to outline his worries about Hayden. In his letter he claims: "Mr Hayden failed to provide any of the tachograph charts and service schedules that would allow me to ensure that the operators kept within the law."
When CM contacted Hayden he said: "I don't want to make a comment until I've looked at the books." He did claim to have more than 30 hauliers who were happy with his service.