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Licence suspended for running extra vehicle

9th February 2012
Page 14
Page 14, 9th February 2012 — Licence suspended for running extra vehicle
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WA Clark’s O-licence has been suspended after the haulier was caught driving an extra unauthorised vehicle

By Roger Brown

BANFFSHIRE HAULIER WA Clark has had its O-licence suspended for two weeks after it was discovered running an extra vehicle without authorisation.

In a written decision following a December public inquiry (PI), trafic commissioner (TC) for Scotland, Joan Aitken also warned Gavin Dickson, the transport manager at the Portsoy-based operator, as to his repute.

The PI was told that the boss at WA Clark – Billy Clark – and a casual driver carried out timber and bulk grain haulage, and also did some general haulage, such as carrying bulk fertiliser.

VOSA trafic examiner Elizabeth Haddow was conducting mobile checks with police oficers in March 2011 when she stopped one of the operator’s trucks. At the time the vehicle was stopped, WA Clark had a pending application to increase its leet from two to four lorries.

Haddow found that the lorry was not speciied on the irm’s O-licence for two vehicles, but was displaying a disc from the time it had been on the licence between October 2009 and January 2011.

Billy Clark told the examiner he had accessed VOSA’s online self-service system the night before to place the truck onto the licence and remove one that was currently speciied. However, according to Haddow, VOSA’s licensing ofice in Leeds conirmed that no new changes had been submitted by WA Clark.

The PI also examined the high turnover of transport managers at WA Clark, with three in position since the licence was granted in February 2009. One of these was the operator’s father Alistair Clark, who was nominated in March 2010, and who held his own standard international licence for two vehicles and two trailers.

However, in June 2010 Alistair Clarke was sentenced to two years’ imprison ment and disqualiied from driving after a converted trolley being towed by a tractor unit he was driving detached and collided with another vehicle, killing the driver. The condition of the vehicle and trailer were described in court as being in a “dangerous state”.

In November 2010, the TC revoked his O-licence and disqualiied him indeinitely. When he was sent to prison, Alistair Clark resigned as transport manager at WA Clark and Dickson was nominated in August 2010 to replace him. Billy Clark told the TC he moves his own grain and livestock with different trailers, has his own small holding, and although there is some overlap with work his father did, his businesses are separate from his father’s.

Aitken said: “Clark claimed that he had speciied the vehicle on the licence by self-service. I am of the view that Clark was operating in excess of his authorisation by having the three units available.”

Double check

If you are using VOSA’s online self-service system to specify vehicles, make sure the ones you are using tally with those listed.


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