Charter man: lot me'
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A CHARTER 14, idways director Gordon Greenwood, has told the jury in the fake tachograph records trial at Preston Crown Court (CM, March 1) that he never told the company's drivers to falsify tachograph charts.
Earlier, another director, William Graham, elected not to give evidence. Graham, Greenwood, Gordon McLeod (Charter's former general manager), and traffic clerks Philip Lonsdale and David Lindley deny conspiring together and with drivers to make false entries in tachograph charts.
Greenwood said that it had been the traffic clerks' duty to check the charts and look for any breaches of drivers' hours regulations. He had never told any driver to do a job outside the legal hours.
He claimed that publicity following his and fellow defendants' arrests had led to creditors losing confidence in Charter Roadways. It was compelled to pay cash for fife!
supplies, and to sell vehicles.
The reduction in the size oi the fleet started a downward spiral and the company went into liquidation.
Questioned by Rodney Kievan QC, prosecuting, Greenwood said he was surprised that the investigation hid uncovered around 1,000 charts, that so many drivers were involved and that they had been falsifying charts for 12 months.
Greenwood denied that by recording loading and unloading as rest Charter could get nine extra return trips to Dover each week out of 18 vehicles, giving the company an extra £2,500.
He agreed that the falsification of charts justified sonic of the dismissals and that although some drivers had been warned for tachograph offences, they had gone for months with fairly obvious falsifications without being dismissed.
McLeod said there was no necessity for any of the driv
ers to exceed their hours or falsify charts; he had never told drivers to record loading and unloading as rest.
In reply to Kievan, McLeod said he had examined very few charts. He had been more concerned with getting the lorries and their loads on the road. He maintained that drivers had only complained to him about the hours on about 10 occasions.
Graham had never checked charts and he had never seen Greenwood check charts. 1k denies that they were only interested in getting vehicles hack for the midnight ferry.
McLeod said he had to chase drivers to ensure they followed their instructions. If the drivers had worked to instructions there would have been no need to check charts as all the jobs could he done within the hours limits.
He denied that it had been policy CO recruit unemployed drivers or that he had ever promised them high earnings.
The case continues.