A-LICENCE DISC 'HAD TO BE SEIZED'
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A HAULIER had continued to operate four vehicles after they had been removed from his A licence and was only halted by the physical removal of the discs by Ministry officials, a Darlington inquiry was told last week.
W. Armstrong (Westerhope) Ltd., Birtley, was applying for a short-term A licence for six vehicles with a normal user similar to that which was operative before June 7, 1967, when the vehicles were removed from the licence under Section 177(1) of the Road Traffic Act 1960.
The clerk to the Northern Licensing Authority had made repeated requests to inspect their, drivers' records but had received no reply. After the LA's action, the licence discs were not returned. Four were removed by Metropolitan Traffic Area officials on August 11, and the other two still had not been produced.
For Armstrong, Mr. T. H. Campbell Wardlaw said that in 1965 the company had started sub-contract work for J. W. Edward (Haulage) Co. Ltd., of Walworth, London, and a resulting business relationship was cemented by an agreement dated April I, 1966.
Four vehicles were moved to London to carry empty engine-frames from Dodge Bros., Kew, and fruit to the North, returning with Chrysler Cummins engines from Darlington.
Two vehicles had remained in Birtley operated by Mr. C. M. Graydon who, together with his wife, sold the entire Armstrong shareholding to Mr. Edwards' family in December, 1966. The revenue from these two vehicles was to be used to reimburse Armstrong creditors.
Mr. J. W. Edwards, director, said he had been in haulage seven years with two Con. A vehicles and also acted as a type of clearing house.
Questioned about the non-submission of records, Mr. Edwards said he had kept them in London and, on seeing the LA's letter of January 18, 1967, had arranged for all logsheets to be sent monthly to the Birtley office. He thought they would automatically be sent on to the LA.
Mr. Campbell Wardlaw submitted that the vehicles had been removed under the wrong section of the Act.
The deputy LA, Mr. J. A. Baldwin, said Armstrong had not produced drivers' records and the Birtley vehicles' discs, as requested, and revenue figures were incomplete. He adjourned the hearing for further evidence.