Whole firm was breaking rules
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The falsification of tachograph records by his driver's has cast Doncaster haulier James Houston his 0-licence, with an indefinite disqualification. Houston, who trades as Houston Transport, was called before North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartney at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry.
The TO expressed concern that one of the nine convicted drivers, Peter Cooper, did not hold an HGV driving licence. He added that Cooper, who had been a major player in the falsification, had worked for various operators, including Longs of Leeds, and Cooper was clearly putting those operators' licences at risk.
PC Peter Thompson of South Yorkshire Police said that when one of Houston's vehicles was stopped in May 1998 the driver was unable to produce a tachograph record. An examination of the vehicle revealed that a two-pin plug fated into the wiring loom had
been disconnected, disabling the tachograph.
When three months' tachograph charts for six vehicles and 24 drivers were examined, with work sheets and fuel receipts, it became apparent there was a large-scale flouting of the drivers' hours rules.
Of 483 tachograph charts analysed, 126 were false— nearly one in three. One driver had fitted a switch; false names were used; dates and names were missed out; charts were removed to miss out parts of journeys (especially ferry crossings); fuses were disconnected; and the second-man position was used so extra driving could be done.
Nine drivers were prosecuted at the end of a 12-month investigation, and fines totalling .C..5,000 were imposed. Vehicle examiner Roger Page said that in the past five years six immediate and five delayed prohibitions had been imposed on Houston's vehicles. Holding that Houston was no longer of good repute, the TO said he did so because of the convictions and the failure to keep vehicles in a fit and serviceable condition.
Houston, who had operated without a transport manager, had failed to exercise effective control. The fact that the drivers were being paid 25% of the vehicles' earnings was an incentive to break the hours and tachograph rules.
"You were all at it," the TO told the seven drivers who appeared before him. The HGV licence held by Simon Didcott was revoked; Carrie Turnbull's licence was suspended for six months; Anthony Simpson's was suspended for 15 weeks; and those held by John Budd, George Richardson, Andrew Reid and Houston's son Ronald were suspended for six weeks.