Curtailment imposed at LA's first hearing
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• Holding his first public inquiry since taking up office as new Yorkshire Licensing Authority, Mr R. S. Thorton decided to curtail the operator's licence held by D. E. Mellor (Transport) Ltd by removing five vehicles, including the margin of seven, for a period of one month from June 25.
Earlier, Mr John, D, Blackwell, a DoE vehicle examiner, had told the LA of a fleet inspection which he had carried out at the firm's Yorkshire base on March 29 this year. On inspecting eight vehicles he issued two with immediate prohibition notices but found that five trailers also inspected were in a reasonable condition. Records relating to preventative maintenance, he said, had not been kept up to date and he felt that
the condition of the vehicles examined was not that of vehicles which had received proper preventive maintenance inspections.
Mr Blackwell ended his evidence by saying that the company carried out most repairs and services itself and employed a staff of two skilled and two semi-skilled mechanics for this purpose. Although there was a large "off the road" parking area there was in fact, undercover housing for one vehicle and the workshop used for vehicle maintenance and repair could also accommodate one vehicle only.
Giving evidence on behalf of Mellor Transport, Mr R. Bergin, transport manager, said that throughout its history none of the firm's vehicles had ever at
tracted GV9s in relation to serious matters such as defective tyres or brakes.
He told the LA that since the examiner's inspection the firm's garage and a considerable amount of equipment had been destroyed in a fire. Because of this a new and more suitable garage was being consLructed and the firm had improved its preventive maintenance system and had introduced a more comprehensive type of record sheet. Mellor Transport also intended to replace a number of its vehicles with new models.
On announcing that he would curtail the licence, which originally authorized 14 vehicles and 10 trailers with a margin of seven vehicles and five trailers, Mr Thai-ton stated that he was also taking into consideration the fact that Mellor Transport had been convicted for overloading on January 20 1972. He pointed out that as seven of the vehicles to be curtailed had not been taken up the actual curtailment was not as severe as it appeared at first sight.