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Examiners lose respect
Page 9
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by Rob Willock
• Vehicle examiners' risk losing credibility if they continue to issue prohibitions "willy filly", according to a solicitor specialising in transport.
Manchester-based Jonathan Lawton says: "Prohibitions are issued in ludicrous circumstances. Unless the Vehicle Inspectorate exercises some control over the quality of the PG9s its vehicle examiners issue, their value will diminish until no one takes any notice of them."
Lawton is representing two hauliers who claim prohibitions were slapped on their lorries for brake slack adjuster defects by examiners who didn't even get under the vehicles.
Peter Pesticcio of Falcon Low Loaders says a traffic examiner claimed he could hear the fault. "I've been in the business for 30 years and I've got some idiot at the side of the road telling me he can hear my vehicle's brakes don't work," he says. Andy Gough, general manager of Sandy-based RC Robinson Haulage says: "If a policeman nicks you he has to prove his case in court, but these ministry men have carte blanche. It would be interesting to see what happens if drivers refused to sign dubious PG9s."
In both cases, second opinions revealed the adjusters to be within the limits of acceptable travel.
Lawton blames the VI's target system, which rewards the issuing of PG9s. And the VI has recognised the potential problems of vehicle examiners pursuing easy cases in order to produce results. It has recently moved from a straight numerical target to a points value system, which awards points based on the severity of offences dis
covered. Brakes and steering defects carry the highest value.
But Lawton believes that any system which allocates points to examiners will encourage them to exaggerate problems. Brake adjusters are "easy points" for examiners, he claims.
A VI spokeswoman replies: "The new system is designed to improve road safety targeting. But it's not set in stone—it's being looked at. It's been going since April and it may yet be redesigned."