Trucks had serious faults
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rough ground is no excuse
Browns Mech anical Services from Stoke on Trent has had its licence suspended for a week despite protests from director and transport manager Keith Brown that it would probably put the firm out of business.
And West Midland Deputy Traffic Commissioner Alan Bourlet cut the licence authorisation from 10 vehicles and two trailers to six vehicles and one trailer at a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry. He said a page and a hair of prohibition notices, some of which were marked S. was not a good track record and not something he could allow to continue. He pointed out that in addition to the prohibitions the company had been convicted of using a dangerous vehicle after it was found to have loose wheelnuts.
Vehicle examiner Harry Marsh said he examined four vehicles in August, and issued two immediate and one delayed prohibition.
After Marsh had said the records showed inspections were carried out every four to five weeks, the Deputy Commissioner said that following a warning letter last October, Brown had written to say that inspections would be carried out every three weeks.
Brown said the vehicles carried waste over rough ground, constantly going on and off tips all day. When they got stuck machines dragged them out. He had reduced the inspection period to three weeks for a while and then it just drifted back to monthly. He didn't know why, it just did. The vehicle involved in the conviction had recently had a wheel replaced and he thought the driver had not checked the wheeinuts after it had been driven for a short distance. The driver had been sacked—the second driver sacked over loose wheelnuts. For the future, the vehicles would be inspected
every two weeks.
It was no excuse to say vehicles were used on rough ground, said Bourlet. It was no consolation to someone killed because a wheel came off that the vehicle had been working on a tip.
Describing the suspension as "a short, sharp, shock" to make Brown realise he had to take maintenance very seriously, the Deputy Commissioner warned that if things were allowed to drift again he was unlikely to allow the licence to continue.