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Supermarket giant Tesco is to come under scrutiny after drivers working for a supplier complained they were held up for hours at its Livingston regional distribution centre (RDC). They alleged that Tesco staff did not care if they ran out of hours as a result.

The North-Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell is to take up complaints about the situation at the RDC, following breaches of the drivers' hours and tachograph rules, including the falsification of tachograph records . The drivers involved blamed procedures at the RDC.

They were employed by the haulage arm of Wigton-based Reays Coaches and had been called before the TC at a Kendal public inquiry. She had earlier revoked the goods vehicle O-licence held by Reays.

Driver John Anderson, of Carlisle, said he had been unhappy about runs to Tesco's RDC at Livingston. The hours were tight. He left Reays as he did not want to carry on. Taking no action against the licence held by Anderson, the TC said he had done what he was supposed to do and "voted with his feet".

Asked about a false record, driver Wilfred Scott, of Wigton, said he had told Tesco that he had had enough and he had parked up and gone to bed. He was then woken and asked to move his vehicle a short distance.

After the TC had said that a traffic examiner's investigation  had revealed that Tesco's own vehicles and its main contractor's vehicles took precedence, Scott said that the Reays trucks were often held back.

Driver Adrian Hewitt, of Penrith, said many drivers were kept waiting for up to five hours at Livingston. If they complained, the Tesco staff took no notice. Their policy was that if their hours ran out, it was "tough". All the staff cared about was "booking you in and giving you the paperwork".

When told there was not sufficient hours, the reply was: "We don't care." Driver Malcolm Nicholson, of Wigton, had been convicted of four offences of falsification. He admitted "pulling the card", saying he was the new boy on the job.

He said that all the offences related to the Tesco work. There was just not enough time to do the job as the schedules were that tight. The shunters gave Tesco's own vehicles priority, and they were pushed aside as "outsiders". In suspending Nicholson's licence for 28 days, the TC said he had made the cold decision to commit an offence of dishonesty on four occasions. He had brought the industry and other professional drivers into disrepute.

Driver Brian Wylie, of Cannonbie, had been convicted of 18 offences of falsification. He said that most offences involved "pulling the card" when not driving on the public road. He claimed that he had been told to put someone else's name on a chart when he had insufficient time to bring the vehicle back.

Suspending his licence for 56 days, the TC said that he had jeopardised road safety to an unacceptable level, being on duty up to 23 hours in a day.

Driver Peter Hopcroft, of Wigton, had been convicted of 22 offences of falsification. He said that the Tesco job was difficult and he stuck at a job until it was done. His licence was suspended for 28 days. The TC said that the industry had a bad enough name without drivers making it worse by falsifying tachograph records.

The other drivers received formal warnings, the TC being satisfied they had not received sufficient training from the company.

The TC was satisfied that the drivers had been unable to comply with the drivers' hours rules when doing the Tesco work, something that she intends to take up.