'Crabbing' lorry suspended
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• A vehicle examiner who noticed a lorry "crabbing"—travelling out of alignment—reported the matter with the result that several of the owner's vehicles were found to have serious defects.
This was stated when the firm, Rees Concrete Co. of Pantglas, Aberfan, Merthyr Tydfil, appeared before the South Wales LA where it was asked to say why its licence should not be revoked.
Mr. J. H. Chard, clerk to the LA, said a vehicle examiner, Mr. G. Rocyn Jones, noticed that a lorry travelling along. a main road towards Pontypridd, at Taffs Well, appeared to be travelling out of line and he reported the matter. The firm's fleet of six vehicles was examined and prohibition notices served on four lorries.
"It appears there was no preventive maintenance system in operation and no record of inspection of vehicles was kept," said Mr. Chard.
Mr. C. Llewellyn Jones, counsel for the firm, said it accepted the comments and offered its apology for the defects. The prohibition orders had now been removed on all but one of the vehicles. He called Mr. Edward Stanley, managing director, who said he had called in a firm of engineers to carry out a thorough investigation of the fleet and to offer recommendations.
The LA, Mr. Ronald Jackson, said: "Mr. Rees might well have thought on January 23 when. his vehicle was crabbing and attracted the notice of the vehicle examiner that he was unlucky. I am satisfied that the future is going to look after itself so I will impose a token suspension on one vehicle for one month. I am told that this vehicle will be off the road for two months anyway."