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Go ahead and expand but watch your trailers' condition
Page 33
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AN OPERATOR has been allowed to expand his fleet, on the condition that he pays more attention to the condition of hired trailers.
Sunderland-based Malcolm Graham appeared before the north-eastern traffic commissioner Tom Macartney seeking to increase the authorisation on his licence from two vehicles and two trailers to six vehicles and three trailers.
Senior vehicle examiner Gary Walker said that in the past two years three immediate and five delayed prohibitions had been issued to Graham's vehicles and trailers, together with a variation notice. Three of the prohibitions were issued to hired trailers being hauled by Graham's tractors.
Walker reported that the vehicles operated on and off site;he suggested that air suspension would reduce the number of prohibitions but expected the situation to improve now that Graham had acquired two trailers of his own which would be maintained in house.
Graham admitted that he was aware there was a problem with the hired trailers, which were being damaged when scrap metal was hammered down into them. He had bought two larger bulk trailers with air suspension with a third to follow.
Driver training had been undertaken by an outside consultant. who would also be carrying out a quarterly audit on vehicle maintenance.
Graham told the TC that he would be in financial difficulty if the increase were refused as he had committed himself to leasing a new yard.
Increasing the licence with a warning, the TC commented that Graham had spent a lot of money putting maintenance measures in place and he was fairly confident he could cope with the expansion.