News

Hargreaves (UK) Services has escaped action for maintenance problems after deputy traffic commissioner Elizabeth Perrett was satisfied it aspired to running a safe and efficient fleet.

At a Leeds public inquiry Perrett heard the Esh Winning, Co Durham-based company had been issued 22 prohibitions and two refusals to clear over the past five years. Eighteen of the prohibitions and the refusals had been issued in 2006. Forty-six prohibitions had been issued to previous entities Hargreaves  Transport Services and Young Haulage.

The company's stated vehicle inspection period had been exceeded by one week on 5% of occasions, and there were several instances of drivers repeatedly reporting defects with no rectification recorded. Checks of a sample of inspection records produced at the hearing found the inspection period in one case had been extended by six days.

It was argued for Hargreaves that the roadside prohibition rate was similar to the national average, though the company did not want to be "average". Technical director Neal Sowerby said the forward planning of maintenance was done electronically and the policy since the end of April was that if a vehicle had not had its inspection when due it did not run.

New drivers spent at least a week with the company's driver trainers, then a period with an experienced driver, and drivers were assessed quarterly and annually. Sowerby said the company employed a number of Polish drivers who were booked in  for English lessons. There was an interpreter and necessary documents had been translated into Polish.

Sowerby added that each year the Freight Transport Association (FTA) conducted an external audit of the fleet and systems. From June there would be a fleet compliance officer and some £3.9m had been spent on vehicle maintenance and repair over ten months.

He pledged there would be a 10% random audit of drivers' daily walk round checks and the next two FTA reports would be made available to the deputy commissioner.