One Vehicle Suspended : Plus Warning
Page 57
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AFTER reserving his decision on an application by Woodcocks Transport (Charley), Ltd., 150-158 Cross Lane, Salford, 5, Mr. F. Williamson, the North Western Licensing Authority, warned the chairman of the company, Mr. S. Hackett, that two of their licences could be suspended or revoked following certain irregularities which had been revealed.
The Authority suspended -one vehicle for four months.
Mr. J. Backhouse, for the applicants, said that they wished to operate two vehicles of 101 tons on ordinary A licence in place of two special A outfits. Schedules were produced showing earnings, tonnage and mileage. Mr. Williamson observed that the weight of the articulated unit seemed to vary, but Mr. Hackett said that this resulted from different trailers which were used to deal with various types of traffic. They were both operated from Woodcocks' Charley and Rotherham bases.
The operational figures for one of the vehicles finished at February, 1960, and when asked the reason for this Mr. Hackett said that his clerk had forgotten to insert the remainder. Mr. Williamscin said that the log sheets should be submitted and stated that he was not satisfied with the history of the two units.
in November, 1959, Woodcocks had sold the two vehicles to Mr. A. Bromley. trading as Hilton Transport Services, 44. George Street, Prestwich. They had entered into a hire-purchase agreement but Mr. Bromley's payments had soon gone into arrears. They had had every intention of lodging an application stating that they wished to transfer, a section of, their business, but had not wished. to do' this until the financial side of the, agreement had been completed, said Mr. Hackett.
Mr.. Bromley's payments on the two vehicles became so. much in Arrears that the hire-purchase company -had asked Woodcocks' to take the vehicles from him —in other words,' to "honour his guarantee." Over the intervening period they had lost a great deal of goodwill as s result of this, and to date had managed to trace only one of the vehicles.
In a statement under caution to a traffic examiner, Broniley had said that he had purchased an Albion motor vehicle from Hacketts Disposals, Ltd.. Salford, in November, 1959;This unit had an A licence identity certificate issued to Woodcocks.
• Mr. Williamson said that Woodcocks should never have' disposed of the certificate as Mr. Bromley had become the virtual owner of the unit, the holder of the licence, and had paid the driver's wages. Mr. Hackett said that he had intended to put in an application to transfer a portion of his lousiness subject to .a satisfactory financial .agreement. "Why 'should .1 allow you to continue
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operating these nits, when they have not really worked for you since NOvendiL-r, i959?" asked . Mr. Williamson. The whole thing had. stemmed from Woodcocks' original action, he continued, and he would not be condoning Bromley in any way by refusing the application.