News

Numerous prohibitions, including one involving wheel loss on a motorway, have led to the threat of action against a Bishop Auckland operator unless it takes immediate steps to improve maintenance procedures. Hobson Brothers Refractories has been given until the beginning of May to have all its vehicles and trailers roller brake tested and to retrain its drivers in defect reporting, otherwise it will have its licence suspended by Tom Macartney, the North Eastern Traffic Commissioner

The  company holds a licence authorising the operation of eight vehicles and eight trailers. Vehicle examiner Gordon Whittaker said that since a previous public inquiry in December 2003, five immediate prohibitions had been issued, including an 'S' marked prohibition following a wheel-loss incident on the motorway. Four delayed prohibitions had been issued. Following an investigation, the company concluded that the driver involved in the wheel loss had not carried out an adequate daily walk round check.

He was given a written warning and suspended for 10 days without pay. There were no written records of six-monthly roller brake tests, which was one of the undertakings given at the previous public inquiry. However, his main concern was the quality of the drivers' checks, since defects were noted on inspection records that they should have detected. A rigorous policing of drivers was required.

Director William Hobson said that the maintenance contractors had been instructed to  carry out roller brake tests on the vehicles, but he had not monitored the work. The trailers were brake tested three times a year. Following the wheel-loss incident, the trailers were fitted with wheelnut indicators and locking devices fitted to the drive axles of the vehicles.

The drivers had received training and had been given a leaflet on wheel security. An assistant transport manager had been employed to oversee the vehicle maintenance and tachograph systems. The TC pointed out that an independent engineering firm that carried out regular audits had highlighted several times that drivers were not reporting defects properly. The TC considered the company had not listened to warning bells that had been ringing for some time, and that he had an uneasy feeling there were more problems under the surface.