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Murfins awaits IC Simms' written word
Page 8
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1 by Michael Jewell
lurfitts Transport, and its parent company, orfolk Line, must wait to see what action the astern Traffic Commissioner Geoffrey Simms will eke against their licences following a Cambridge isciplinary inquiry.
The hearing follows the conviction of 131 lurfitts' drivers for a series of drivers' hours ffences, including falsification of tachograph °cords.
In addition, the Vehicle Inspectorate found 32 °hides with speed limiter problems, the use of nautharised operating centres at Tilbury and hurrock, and use of 13 vehicles after their excise cences had been surrendered.
Edward Green, Norfolk Line's managing direcor and a director of Murfttts, said they believed hey were buying a highly professional company fith competent managers. New structures were put in place but the culture remained the same and it was only by changing the management team that they had changed the drivers' attitudes.
Murfttts' current managing director, Charles Price, said he had joined the company in December 2001 and fundamental changes had been made. The company's previous six divisions had been reduced to two, only 21 of the 131 convicted drivers were still employed and there had been minimal re-offending.
On no occasion had more vehicles been operated than were authorised. It had been the practice to surrender excise licences of a number of road-trains during August because of holidays in France and Italy. This was done in July when unfortunately some vehicles were still on the Continent.
Price said he believed that compliance within the business had boon transformed and Murfitts was now well above average in all areas and in some among the best.
It would have been very easy for Norfolk Line to have walked away by "pulling the plug and leaving Murfftts' creditors wallowing", said Stephen Kirkbright for both companies. He asked the IC to take account of the substantial financial losses incurred by Norfolk Line in continuing to support Murfitts. He maintained that revocation or suspension of the licence would send out the wrong message to all the people who had worked hard to put matters right.
The TO will announce his decision in writing at a later date.