LA's 'bad egg' warning to midland haulier
Page 69
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Jewkes Transport (Stourbridge)
• In prematurely terminating the licence held by Jewkes Transport (Stourbridge) Ltd, so that it now expires at the end of the year, West Mildand Licensing Authority John Mervyn Pugh said that the company could consider itself extremely lucky. It was his duty to rid the industry of 'bag eggs" and if the company committed one more offence of any sort he would seriously consider revoking its licence.
The company, which holds a licence for six vehicles and four trailers, had appeared before the previous LA, Ronald Jackson, in November 1986, when it was told in no uncertain terms that if it incurred further convictions its repute would be in doubt. Since then the company and its drivers had been convicted of substantial offences by the Droitwich magistrates.
For Jewkes, Michael Carless said there had been no overloading offences, or convictions for not having vehicles plated and tested at Droitwich, so to that extent the company had kept the assurances given to Jackson. • The offences had arisen out of the nature of the work, carrying scrap with articulated vehicles. Considerable damage was done to trailer tyres because of the nature of the terrain operated over. There was no reason why the drivers should have moved the vehicles concerned with the tyres in the condition they were, when facilities were available to change them. One driver even moved despite the fact that a prohibition had been placed on his vehicle.
All the offences arose within a week and related to two vehicles. The company had been surprised by what occurred.
Director Brian Jewkes said the nature of the operation had now been entirely changed. The haulage of scrap and the operation of artics had been abandoned The company was now only operating two skip wagons, driven by his brother and himself, and a tipper was in the process of being rebuilt. The work was now solely domestic and industrial waste.
After Mervyn Pugh had said that Jackson's words on the last occasion seemed to have had little effect, Jewkes said they did have but the company had been unfortunate in the people that it had employed.
Mervyn Pugh commented that the company must have the thinnest good repute in the haulage world.