Licence cut on request
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• A man who told a Manchester public inquiry that he wanted a licence for one truck to allow him to earn a Living, has had his licence cut from six vehicles and 10 trailers to one vehicle and two trailers.
Department of Transport vehi cle examiner Alan Barnes said he had examined a vehicle and trailer belonging to James Ellison & Sons in November and imposed a delayed prohibition on the tractor for a loose wheelnut. There was no forward planner for safety inspections and no written driver defect reporting system.
The company had appeared at a previous disciplinary inquiry in December 1992. when the licence duration and authorisation were cut. Since June 1993 nine prohibitions had been imposed on the company's vehicles, two of which were for neglect.
Company director James Ellison Jnr said he felt that a number of the prohibitions were not justified. He felt it was unfair to be given a prohibition for a trailer which belonged to a customer and which the company had only had for a couple of hours. A wall plaimer had been acquired showing inspection dates, and he would have brake, smoke and headlamp alignment tests carried out at the test station every three months.
Ellison said that he drove the one vehicle now in possession. All the drivers had gone. Ile did not want the worry of it: he just wanted one vehicle to make a living: "If everybody looked after their vehicles like I look after mine there wouldn't be any problems," he said.
Cutting the licence, North Western Traffic Commissioner Keith 'Waterworth said that Ellison had been in the industry long enough to be able to cope with keeping one vehicle and two trailers in a roadworthy condition.
He called for be a check in a year's time to see that Ellison had done what he had promised.