John Woodward, the 57-year-old owner and transport manager of Recycle London Ltd, told government inspectors that he was too busy running his company and did not look at his drivers’ hours records. He also admitted that he had limited knowledge of the rules.
The drivers’ hours rules exist to prevent tired lorry drivers presenting a threat to safety.
Mr Woodward was reported by an investigator from the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) for exceeding the 4.5 hour driving rule – where drivers must take a break or breaks totalling at least 45 minutes after no more than 4 hours and 30 minutes of driving.
In total, the DVSA traffic examiner identified 13 infringements of the 4.5 hour rule. Mr Woodward also failed to download driving records from both the vehicle unit and his own driver card – also a legal requirement.
During a public inquiry in Cambridge on 6th March, Mr Woodward told the east of England traffic commissioner Richard Turfitt that he had undertaken training on drivers’ hours and tachographs after being stopped by DVSA officers in July last year. However, Mr Turfitt noted that the offending had continued.
Mr Turfitt revoked the company’s vehicle operating licence for one month from 7th March 2017.
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