Turfed out: operator has licence revoked for maintenance failures19 January 2017
Southampton-based turf supplier and skip hire operator John Hinton has lost his licence to run HGVs after the regulator found he persistently failed to put adequate maintenance systems in place.
Hinton, who trades as Hampshire Turf, failed to attend a public inquiry on 12 January, following which traffic commissioner Kevin Rooney said Hinton was “very unlikely” to run his vehicles in compliance with the operator licence regime in the future. He revoked his licence with immediate effect.
An investigation by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) last August revealed several shortcomings, including: safety inspections stretched from six to 12 weeks; preventative maintenance records incorrectly completed; and insufficient evidence of a driver defect reporting system.
The DVSA examiner also found the operator had an annual test failure rate for trailers that was above the national average and had been issued with two prohibitions for insecure loads. Additionally, the stated maintenance contractor was not being used.
Hinton was previously issued with warnings in 2014 and 2009 in respect of his maintenance arrangements.
In his written decision, Rooney says: “This operator has persistently failed to have in place adequate maintenance arrangements... The road safety risk that arises from the persistently poor maintenance systems of these old and large vehicles means that I find it necessary to bring this licence to an end.”
Author
Laura Cork
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