Overseas breaches count on 0-licence
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• North East Traffic Commissioner Keith Water worth has stressed that TCs have the power to take into account breaches of the hours and tachograph rules committed abroad when considering disciplinary action against an operator's licence. He issued York international haulier Michael Simpson, trading as MA Simpson Haulage, with a final warning at a Leeds disciplinary inquiry.
Waterworth pointed out that EL authorities reported hours Tachograph offences abroad and tachograph breaches to the still count on a UK 0-licence. Department of Transport, which passed them on to the TCs. ally driving, but he felt that Traffic examiner Alan Dawson Simpson had been more interestsaid that an analysis of two vehied in getting the job done than des' charts for three months the finer points of the drivers' showed at least five charts were missing and numerous offences had been committed on the Continent.
Casual drivers seemed suddenly to take over vehicles when driving hours and duty time were about to run out, said Dawson. Dates had been altered on a number of charts and three had been falsified by winding back the tachograph clock.
Dawson admitted that he had not checked if the other people named on the charts had done
hours rules.
Simpson had been Simpson said
• he had three
haulage. He had done than the finer decided to stop
driving to m an
points of the age the busi drivers' hours rules ness, and was now employing a tachograph agency to train the drivers and analyse the charts The breaches arose at a time when he had been doing multicollection and delivery work to Italy, said Simpson. He was now doing one-drop work in Germany.
Watervigirth said the hours and tachograph rules were important as a tired driver was a dangerous driver. They were not there to prevent operators making a profit but to protect the public.
However, he was satisfied there had not been a deliberate attempt of any significance to contravene the rules in the pursuit of profit—he felt that insufficient time had been devoted to running the business, and perhaps Simpson had not understood the rules sufficiently.
He felt the steps taken should enable Simpson to manage the drivers' hours situation. lie needed to, because if there were further convictions they would bring his repute into question.