Hi,
just looking for a bit of general advice on this subject.. My employer has 2 7.5t flatbed recovery trucks, which he does not maintain until they break(typical).
Am i right i saying that these trucks, should by law, have some sort of inspection every 4-6 weeks and obviously these checks should then be recorded.
Both drivers who drive the trucks full time are neither up or down about it, due to my boss saying that the trucks do not require the inspecton, but i'm not so sure that he's right.
Any help most appreciated,
thanks
James
Edited by jimbano on 29/09/2008 at 21:44
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When we owned a 7.5t truck it had to have 6 weekly inspections.
I think recovery trucks are exempt though.
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Whatever the law may say on inspections (and I do not know the answer), your employer has a duty of care to ensure that the vehicles are SAFE (not road legal, but safe, ie you could argue that it is more than just legal).
If there is no inspection facility, then I'm not sure how he could demonstrate that his fleet is safe.
I will inspect our vans (less than 3.5t) at every opportunity. That sometimes means the same car/van gets inspected twice/three times a week.
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Read www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/Guide%20to%20M...f
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Hi,
Thanks for the prompt replies guys, the vosa web link has a lot of good info on it.
Thanks again
James
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Might I suggest that if you're seriously concerned about the lack of routine maintenance, you invest in a defect book? They're available from many truckstops, made by Chartwell who are the main suppliers of tachograph discs.
Fill the book in daily, tear off the copy for the boss and hand it to him; you've then got a detailed record of defects and also a trace for when they get fixed.
Covers your backside in the event of VOSA pulling you; goes without saying though that if you take the truck out when it's obviously unroadworthy it's on your head as well.
It's standard practice in road haulage for drivers to do a check every time they start a shift, and most firms should have an in-house form for this.
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The insurance requires that the vehicle is maintained in a "legal and roadworthy" condition-if not the insurance is void.
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Corporate Manslaughter Act would also apply if an employer causes a death through inaction.
www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2007/ukpga_20070019_en_1
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Hi,
I think i,ve opened a can of worms here :(
I will pass on the comments to the drivers of the trucks and let them decide what to do with the information.
My boss does'nt even have an operator's licence for the trucks, but again because they trucks are for recovery, he believes that they are exempt. Again i'm not so sure..
Anyway thanks for the help guys.
Regards
James
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tinyurl.com/4kahzk {link to www.transportoffice.gov.uk considerably shortened to restore page width}
says that vehicles used 100% for recovery are exempt from O-licence reqs.
Edited by Dynamic Dave on 30/09/2008 at 22:00
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Recovery operators using recovery trucks for recovery work only are exempt from having to hold an Operators Licence but that doesn't mean that they are exempt from maintaining their vehicles to a roadworthy standard.
A normal general haulier will have to have not only a proper operating centre for their fleet but also have to show that they have the ability to maintain the vehicles or at least show that they have a maintenance contract with a garage for their fleet. This normally ties the vehicles into the regime of having six weekly inspections.
Your boss should still have a similar regime, just because it is a recovery truck it doesn't mean that you don't have to bother. If you do get pulled up by VOSA for a spot check it is you as the driver who will take a lot of the flak for driving the vehicle with any dangerous faults.
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boss of lorry company was jailed after his lorry killed someone when the brakes failed due to pads not being changed due to no maintenance
in a situation like this id report it to the police myself
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