Transport manager at two Pis in a month TC blames
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transport manager for chaotic situation found at Loughborough haulage company By Roger Brown EASTERN TRAFFIC commissioner (TC) Richard Turfitt has disqualified a transport manager who appeared at two public inquiries in less than a month.
In a written decision following a public inquiry in Cambridge in March, the TC said Paul Forsdick, transport manager at Loughborough-based M&Z Beeby Haulage from February 2006 until his resignation in December 2010, had failed to exercise the continuous and effective control his role required.
He cut the firm's 0-licence from 11 vehicles and five trailers to eight vehicles and four trailers.
A schedule of payments for Forsdick's services showed he had attended the operator's premises less frequently after 2009. There were occasions when he had been booked to visit but another person attended instead.
The TC concluded that Forsdick was responsible for the chaotic situation the company's replacement transport manager Barry Dunn found towards the end of 2010. This included substantial missing mileage, use of an operating centre without authorisation and a large number of drivers' hours offences.
In a prosecution at Leicester Magistrates' Court,10 of the firm's drivers were convicted for offences including exceeding 4.5 hours' driving without the required breaks, failing to use tachograph record sheets and driver cards, and knowingly making false records.
Turfitt also criticised Forsdick for producing an audit report in August 2009 that recommended the company buy additional services from the consultancy firm that employed him — Transport Advisory Consultants. The recommendation was a "clear conflict of interest".
At a PI in February into Suffolk-based Express Haulage, the TC was told Forsdick, its nominated transport manager, was being paid by Transport Advisory Consultants, which arranged the role.
On that occasion the TC stopped short of ruling that Forsdick had lost his repute.
With regards to M&Z Beeby Haulage, Turfitt said directors Michael Beeby and Zohur Beeby had "failed to exercise proper directorial oversight". He issued the strongest possible warning to Michael Beeby in respect of his truck driving licence after hearing he had been prosecuted for six offences.
He noted Beeby and all other drivers had undertaken training, accepted the business had improved and said that with a new transport manager, he could trust the operator to ensure future compliance.
Summing up M&Z made several commitments, including external analysis of tachograph records and driver walk-round audits.