Three-day suspension for owner-driver who viewed haulage 'like a hobby'
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A CHESHIRE owner-driver who treated haulage as a "hobby" and allowed intervals between safety inspections to stretch to 82 weeks has had his 0-licence suspended for three days.
Middle wich, Cheshire-based Gary Dawson, who holds a licence for one vehicle and two trailers, had been called before North-Western Deputy Traffic Commissioner Patrick Mulvenna.
Vehicle examiner Colin Haselden said two Smarked prohibitions, showing a serious lapse in maintenance, had been issued in March 2006. In July 2006 a maintenance investigation found safety inspection intervals had been stretched from six weeks to 12 to 82 weeks and there was no forward planner.
He carried out a maintenance investigation in February. Some inspection records were not satisfactorily completed, inspection intervals had been stretched to seven weeks, and there was no forward planner.
Producing a forward planner, Dawson said his father was no longer his transport manager due to ill health and his new transport manager was putting him righ t.He was not really in haulage for the money It had been his way of life for 33 years and it had been "like a hobby-. He had fallen behind on the paperwork.
The DTC said it was not just the paperwork.There had been two S-marked prohibitions and a negligent approach to maintenance.
Dawson said if his licence was revoked he would not know what to do. and he had put it all right now.
The DTC replied that in taking action that was not commercially damaging he was giving Dawson a chance to demonstrate that that was the case.