Firm warned on lorry fleet

7:38am Friday 9th May 2008

A COMPANY in York that supplies farmers throughout the north of England with animal feed has been given a warning at a public inquiry.

The Office of the Traffic Commissioner (OTC) called the public inquiry into animal feed compounders William Thompson (York) Ltd after a maintenance investigation on December 7, 2007, was classed as unsatisfactory.

The investigation revealed the company was allegedly failing to carry out inspections of its vehicles every six weeks as required, but instead at five-to-nine week intervals.

It was also alleged that William Thompson (York) Ltd, based at Jubilee Mill, in Murton, failed to properly keep a record of repairs.

The company, which also manufactures animal feed, was issued with two prohibition notices - one on October 22 last year for a tyre below the legal tread-depth limit, and one on April 20 last year for a worn and cracked brake disc.

The outcome of the public inquiry, which was held earlier this week in Leeds, was that Elizabeth Perrett, the deputy traffic commissioner, issued the operator with a formal warning.

The company must adhere to three undertakings.

For the next 12 months, a random audit of safety inspections will be conducted no less than every three months, when one vehicle will be checked by an outside contractor. The findings will be recorded and made available to staff from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) or the OTC on request.

William Thompson (York) Ltd will also undertake a random audit of at least one driver per week to ensure the drivers are undertaking their walk-round checks correctly. The findings will be recorded and made available to staff from VOSA or the OTC on request.

Maintenance systems, maintenance documentation and vehicle inspections will be audited by a third party consultant every three months for the next 12 months.

Audit reports will be prepared, acted upon and retained for at least two years.

Neil Johnson, a director at the firm, said: "Irregularities have been found within our system. Following an internal investigation, actions have been taken to resolve the issues raised."