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Driver used ghost driver to get home
Page 39
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THE USE OF A 'ghost driver' cost Kirkby.Liverpool driver Stuart Thomas £621 in fines and costs when he appeared before the Ellesmere Port & Nestor' magistrates. Thomas pleaded guilty to an offence of falsifying a tachograph chart.
Prosecuting for Vosa, David James said during an investigation into the activities of drivers employed by Jason Byrne, trading as North West Express, of St Helens, 109 of Thomas's tachograph charts were analysed. The traffic examiner suspected that one of these charts, in Byrne's name, had been falsified.
The chart was compared with fuel receipts and time sheets, as well as other charts in Byrne's name. The handwriting on the chart was found to be similar to Thomas's rather than to that on Byrne's other charts.
According to the time sheets, Thomas had been delivering in London and he had tried to get back. If all the driving done by Thomas had been appropriately recorded he would have exceeded 41/2 hours without the required break and exceeded the daily driving limit. There was a total of 1 lhr 42min on the two charts.
When interviewed.Thomas had admitted what he had done. He had said that he had received no training and no disciplinary issues had been brought to his attention. Thomas had said that he had left the firm shortly afterwards.
"Ihe magistrates fined Thomas a total of £14) with £481 costs.