Record offences fined
Page 16
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WHAT were described as merely breaches of one of the most complicated sections of the law, rather than a case where there was menace to the public, led to a Yorkshire Company, and one of its drivers, being fined a total of 015, with £15 costs, by Dewsbury Magistrates on Friday.
The company, Industrial Dismantling Services (Dewsbury) Ltd, pleaded guilty to seven breaches of the drivers' records regulations, to employing a driver without a heavy goods vehicle driving licence, one charge of unauthorised use, and to using a vehicle without an Excise Licence.
Driver Alan Clarke pleaded guilty to two records offences, an offence of driving a heavy goods vehicle without the appropriate licence, and to 'failing to sign his HGV driving licence.
Prosecuting for the Yorkshire Licensing Authority, Mr. Jeremy Schumann said that a traffic examiner had stopped a vehicle being driven by Mr Clarke.
The drivers' records showed that on two dates they had not been fully completed and that the record book had been used by three different drivers. The regulations required each driver to be issued with a separate record book of his own.
When the driver produced his HGV driving licence it was seen to be a Class III licence whilst the vehicle was a Class II vehicle.
The vehicle itself was not displaying either 0 licence or Excise licence discs and the Customs and Excise were claiming back duty of £531. When interviewed by a traffic examiner, the driver, Mr. Clarke had said the vehicle was a six-wheeler. He had previous experience of driving six-wheeled vehicles and he had thought his licence covered him.
In mitigation, Mr. Michael Lawrence, defending, said neither of the defendants had any convictions concerning the operation of vehicles over the last 12 years.
The Magistrates fined the company £180, and ordered it to pay £15 costs, and Mr Clarke £35.