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Two-day suspension for hours offences revealed by charts
Page 34
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A FAILURE to check the tachograph records of a long-standing driver has led to the licence held by Bilston, West Midlands-based Barford Transport being suspended for 48 hours.
Paul and Harry Barford, trading as Barford Transport, with a licence for one vehicle, had been called to appear before West Midland Deputy Traffic Commissioner Lester Maddrell at a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry.
Traffic examiner Gail Travis said that when the firm's vehicle was stopped in a routine check, eight tachograph records produced by driver Ken Starne revealed five 41/2-hour driving offences. Analysis of a further 36 charts revealed a further 11 similar offences by the same driver. Starne had said he had not been given any tachograph training or had any infringements drawn to his attention by the firm until then.
Paul Barford admitted not checking Starne's tachograph charts,saying that Starne had been with the firm since 1990. Early this month 94 tachograph charts had been checked without any further offences being detected, he added.
Paul Barford told the inquiry that a customer had gone bust owing him E20,000.That meant that he had been working -free" for 18 months. Because of that and ill health he sold a number of vans, leaving one vehicle which was driven by Starne who had said he understood the drivers' hours rules.
When he was ill or on holiday Starne took over the running of the business and Barford had felt Starne knew what he was doing. He had now taken on another driver for the larger vehicle and Starne was employed driving a smaller van.
In reply to the DTC,B arford said if the licence were suspended for any period it would finish the business. It was a struggle at the moment. He had already been fined f1,300 for permitting the driver's offences and he felt that he had been punished enough.