TC takes vehicle off the road
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Carmarthen hau lier William Herbert was ordered to take one of his two vehicles off the road after his second disciplinary inquiry within five months. Herbert, trading as R Herbert Transport, was called before Welsh Traffic Commissioner David Dixon at a Port Talbot disciplinary inquiry last week.
Vehicle examiner Michael Williams said that in June one of Herbert's vehicles was given an immediate prohibition showing a significant maintenance failure for an inoperative speed limiter and a loss of air in the braking system. There had been eight spot checks since the previous public inquiry in March, resulting in three S-marked prohibitions.
Three variation notices had been issued when vehicles were produced for clearance, Williams added. There had been no first-time annual test passes in the previous year because the VI was concerned about the competence of the staff carrying out the safety inspections and about a lack of control over maintenance and the drivers. There was a long history of poor maintenance.
Herbert said he had been doing much of the maintenance himself. But at the previous public inquiry he had promised that the maintenance would be contracted out and that he had entered a contract with a commercial garage. However, the contractor was often too busy to take his vehicles, and in one case a vehicle had been left with the garage for a whole day without any work being carried out on it.
Also, vehicles were sometimes returned without anything tieing done to them, Herbert claimed. He added that a new company would now take the vehicles in on a regular basis and ensure that they did not leave until they were in a road worthy condition. He also planned to appoint a transport consultant to act as his transport manager.
For Herbert, Paul Carless said that he had belatedly decided to take some professional advice. He had finally realised that there was a limit to his ability to maintain vehicles.
Curtailing the licence to one vehicle, the TC said the natural step would have been for him to revoke the licence. The 0-licensing system was primarily about road safely. Proper, regular maintenance by qualified people should avoid any problems.
The TC concluded that any further prohibitions would put Herbert's licence in serious jeopardy.