Drivers use boss' name
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• Two drivers who claimed that they were told to use blank tachograph charts made out in the name of their employer's managing director to hide excessive driving hours under threat of being sacked, have been given 12-month conditional discharges by Salford magistrates. A prosecution application for costs was rejected.
Anthony Orange of Altrincham admitted seven offences of falsifying tachograph charts and Stephen Flower of Timperley admitted three offences.
Christopher Worthy, prosecuting for the North Western Traffic Area, said the defendents were employed by Student Products and made long journeys in their own name and in the name of the company's managing director, Stewart Miller. An investigation was started following a complaint by Flower to the traffic area after he was dismissed. Miller de nied any involvement.
Flower joined the company in May 1986. He claimed that the vehicles he was given to drive were unsafe and that when he started a journey he was given blank charts by Miller, made out in Miller's name. Miller had given him his date of birth so he could pretend to be Miller if stopped, and Miller's date of birth was also written in the cabs of the vehicles so drivers would not make a mistake if questioned.
Flower claimed that when he complained about the state of the vehicle and the long hours he was told that if he would not do it there were thousands of unemployed drivers who would. By August he had had enough, but when he told Miller that he was leaving he was accused of stealing money.
Orange said he had been involved in an accident last October while driving a vehicle with three bald tyres and faulty brakes. He admitted that he should not have been driving that day because of the hours he had driven the day before and repeated Flower's allegations. He told the court that they had been paid £100 a week basic plus £3.50 per hour overtime.