Romanian director pleads ignorance
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• The UK arm of a Romanian shoemaking business, whose sole director admitted he did not know much about operator licensing, escapedwith a warning at a Cambridge disciplinary inquiry The firm was called
before Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Ian Fowler because of concerns about its arrangements for maintenance.
Vehicle examiner Christopher Barnett said Northampton-based Kender (UK) was sent a warning letter in January 1997 because inspection records were not fully completed, the inspection period had sometimes been extended from six to eight weeks and there was no driver defect reporting system.
In March of this year there was still no driver defect reporting system, the inspection records were still not being completed properly and there were gaps of up to eight weeks between inspections, said Barnett.
One inspection sheet had been endorsed by the commercial garage undertaking the inspections to say the vehicle was unroadworthy because of numerous lighting defects.
In July defects listed on the
inspection records showed that the drivers were not carrying out daily inspections. There was a gap of eight weeks and five days between two inspections and the same defect was recorded on four consecutive inspection sheets. He could not comment on the condition of the vehicle as he had not yet seen it.
Director Ender Kilic said the vehicle serviced his shoe manufacturing business in Romania. He knew very little about these things as he was not a professional transport operator.
The vehicle stayed in Romania and was inspected when it returned to this country carrying shoes.
Kilic added that he would do everything necessary, as 200 jobs depended on the lorry. If the delivery was one day late he would lose his contract with K Shoes and everything he had worked for. He also agreed that the paperwork was not what it should have been but said he had been paying professionals to do the job.
Indicating that he did not want to put Kilic out of business at this stage, Fowler said he took account of the fact that no prohibitions had been issued to Kender (UK)'s vehicle.