Vehicle suspended over maintenance
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• A North Wales company succeeded in its bid to increase the authorisation on its licence but the licence was curtailed to one vehicle for one month because of its poor maintenance record.
Northern Site Services of Mold, appeared before North Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Patrick Mulvenna. It was seeking to increase its licence from two vehicles and four trailers to four vehicles and four trailers.
Vehicle examiner John F Brown said he issued one delayed and two immediate prohibitions when he inspected three vehicles in September. One vehicle was displaying an 0-licence disc in the name of Protech Scaffolding.
A maintenance contract with a commercial garage had not been adhered to and maintenance was being carried out by the company's own mechanic. There was no forward planner or driver defect reporting system.
In April 1997 the company and one of its mechanics had been fined £1,400 by Chester magistrates for tachograph offences, said Brown.
Questioned by Andrew Woolfall, for the company, Brown said the forward planning system and nil driver defect reporting system now in use were acceptable. The workshop facilities were reasonable if the access was kept clear. He felt the problem was damage on site and that made daily checks very important.
Woolfall said two of the prohibited vehicles were being operated by Protech. The initial intention had been to transfer the Protech vehicles on to the Northern Site licence. However, it was now intended that Protech should retain its own licence, although both companies would have the same maintenance arrangements.
Contracts director Jeff Davies said he felt the problems had been caused by the growth of the business through the acquisition of Protech. The company was joining the Road Haulage Association and it would arrange for the RHA to carry out audit checks.
Woolfall said it was conceded that Protech, which had been based in Wrexham, was operating unlawfully from Mold and an application was being made to put that right.