AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

VI snubs hauliers' harassment clai

6th November 1997
Page 6
Page 6, 6th November 1997 — VI snubs hauliers' harassment clai
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by Rob VVillock • Allegations that vehicle examiners in Merseyside have victimised local hauliers, following an incident three years ago, are being hotly denied by the Vehicle Inspectorate.

Morale among Merseyside hauliers is at rock bottom, says John Hardisty, managing director of .1E Hardisty. He claims he and two other companies were harassed by the VI after reporting two examiners, Eric Boyer and Alan Barnes, to the police for unlawfully stopping vehicles inside the Port of Liverpool estate.

Port of Liverpool Police superintendent Mike Hindley confirms the pair were reprimanded. "They thought an orange jacket gave them carte blanche," he says.

"That was in 1994," says Hardisty. "Since then we've had a record of minor problems—they're out to get revenge." He adds that in the 15 years leading up to the incident in 1994 his company had just three PG9s.

have the same degree of trouble at its other two operating centres.

The VI says the complaints of examiners' behaviour at Port of Liverpool were investigated and found groundless. A spokesman rejects the victimisation allegations.

The row came to a head last month when JE Hardisty was called before North Western Deputy TC Brian Horner for an unsatisfactory maintenance record (CM 23-29 Oct). Its international licence was cut from 25 vehicles and 60 trailers to 20 vehicles and 50 trailers, despite protests that reports of maintenance and VED offences were inaccurate. • The VI has published a "major revision" to its Categorisation of Defects Guide, which advises examiners on the action to be taken for defects. It also enables operators to be aware of the standards that will be applied, says the VI. The revisions aim to "maintain consistency and improve the clarity" of VI guidance.

Contact: 0117 954 3334.

The VI spokesman denies JE Hardisty's record is clean elsewhere in the country. "Hardisty is one of our better-known customers," he adds. "He is just raking this up again because of the public inquiry."

LI The Association of Chief Police Officers wants the Home Office to empower traffic wardens under the control of police to stop vehicles on the road.

• Merseyside vehicle examiners have no plans to contact operators to revoke prohibitions issued on a faulty weighbridge last week, even though one weight was overestimated by nearly 10%.

Charles Mee (left) of Leicestershire-based CF Mee haulage had a vehicle taken to the Dunkirk dynamic weighbridge, at the A5117/M56 junction near Chester on 28 October. The truck was weighed at 40.47 tonnes, and received an immediate prohibition. But the driver knew he was carrying exactly 48 half-tonne bags of fertiliser and claimed he couldn't be overweight. A traffic examiner was persuaded to accompany the driver to Kemira fertilisers whose fixed-plate weighbridge confirmed 36.94 tonnes. "There was no apology,' says Mee. "They just took back the prohibition notice. But how many other vehicles were ovenveiened?"

A VI spokesman says: "There was a zeroing fault on this one vehicle. But if anyone feels they have been unfairly weighed they should get in touch.''


comments powered by Disqus