...as TDG is also hit over maintenance
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• Maintenance problems have led to 10 of the vehicles on TDG's Scottish Area licence being suspended for two weeks.
The company was called to an inquiry before Scottish Traffic Commissioner Michael Betts because of continuing concern over its maintenance record in Scotland.
Stephen Badger, managing director of TDG Logistics, said one of the problems identified was the age of a part of the MacPhersons of Aberlour fleet. Some trailers were 30 years old and 106 of the older trailers had now been taken off the road.
TDG safety director Ralph Taylor said that following three prohibitions to Aberdeen-based vehicles this year, the maintenance contractor in that area, TNT, had been changed. TDG had also been dissatisfied with the performance of Scania main dealers and they had now agreed to sign up to TDG's quality procedures.
For TDG, Stephen Kirkbright said the local problems that had existed at MacPhersons were being quickly resolved.
The TC accepted that the company had made enormous efforts to improve things since November 1994. However, maintenance remained a problem and he had to do something to indicate that the immediate prohibitions, which reflected dangerous vehicles, must stop.