News

An operator has escaped with a formal warning for maintenance offences, including no safety inspection records, after his former transport manager accepted blame. Vehicle examiner Colin Heselden told North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell at a Golborne disciplinary inquiry that Crewe-based Thomas Robertson, trading as TJ Courier Services, had no safety inspection records, no forward planner, the operating centre was inadequate and that one vehicle was parked overnight in an undeclared  location.

The vehicle was in a satisfactory condition. Former transport manager Charles White admitted he had not done the job as he should have done, saying that the last time he had worked for Robertson was six or seven months ago. He was the nominated transport manager for nine other operators. Adjourning consideration of White's repute as a transport manager, the TC said she would be looking closely at his activities.

For Robertson, Kathryn Lucas said that while Robertson was paying White he had assumed everything was going along properly. Following the vehicle examiner's visit, Robertson wrote to White asking him to contact him to discuss the situation but he did not reply. A new transport manager, David Parry, had been engaged on the basis of one and a half hours a week. Robertson intended to study for a CPC. After examining safety inspection records produced at the hearing, Heselden said there had been three inspections since his visit in August, at 10-week intervals.  The records were satisfactory and daily walk-round checks were being carried out regularly.

TC Took Maintenance Spend Into Consideration

The TC took account of the money that had been spent on maintenance and considered it would be unfair to take strong action against the operator when he had been let down by his transport manager.