ABOUT TIME

A director of a Kent haulage firm has been jailed for seven years for his company’s role in a road crash in which three men were killed.
The crash on the M1 in Northamptonshire happened on 27 February 2002 when lorry driver Steven Law fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into two vehicles.

Melvyn Spree works for Keymark Services in Queenborough, which employed Mr Law.

Northampton Crown Court heard how lorry drivers were told to falsify records so they could work longer hours.

‘Accident waiting to happen’

Mr Law’s articulated lorry crashed through the central reservation of the M1 between junctions 15 and 16, and collided with two other vehicles coming the other way.

The 37-year-old lorry driver was killed along with Neil Owen, 41, from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, and Benjamin Kwapong, 53, from London.

Mr Owen had been driving an Iveco truck, while Mr Kwapong had been at the wheel of a Renault van.

Drivers drove as long as they could, failing to take daily rests and weekly rests

Sir Derek Spencer QC, speaking in October
The accident closed both carriageways of the motorway for 12 hours, resulting in 20-mile tailbacks.

At a hearing at Leicester Crown Court in October, Spree, 47, from Sheerness, in Kent, admitted the manslaughter and unlawful killing of Mr Owen and Mr Kwapong.

Keymark Services pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of the two men.

It also heard how working practices at the haulage company were “an accident waiting to happen”.

False records

Sir Derek Spencer QC, prosecuting, said: "Drivers drove as long as they could, failing to take daily rests and weekly rests.

"The result was that there was a risk that any of them at any time might fall asleep at the wheel.

“The business was an accident waiting to happen, which is what happened when Mr Law fell asleep.”

Drivers also regularly kept false records of working hours so it appeared they were complying with the law.

Just seen that on the local news. Had virtually the same reaction as yourself .

Another cowboy down. Pity people died before it got stopped.

What really annoys me is that the idiots in Brussels have been spending millions of our Euros drafting not only new Tacho laws, but also extending the WTD to cover drivers to drastically reduce the hours we can legally work - all in the name of safety.

Maybe if they spent just a fraction of those millions on enforcing the current legislation and closing down these cowboys BEFORE they kill people the roads would be a sefer place for us all.

Fish.

Though it is nice when we hear of directors of companies getting jailed for misdemeanours…it is also evident that drivers too are to blame…we have often heard of the saying…you can lead a horse to water etc…and no one on this planet can force a driver to work longer hours than what he needs to…and i mean that…companies may try and force you to do silly things…but the answer is if you really think your licence is worth anything…NO…and i think that in a lot of instances it is brought about by drivers greed…there are many laws in place…there are many enforcement agencies…there is a lot of protection for drivers…and it doesnt take an awful lot of brains to get the phone numbers of the D.O.T…so there is No excuse to drive over your hours.or against your wishes…
have a nice day

It’s true what you say Bob, the drivers also are to blame, it’s a 50/50 deal. Ive been threatened a few times over the years that if I cant do this, or that, it’s me job gone, or they’ll get somebody that can do it. My reply has allways been the same, lick em and stick em, and I can state that none of them ever did, but they made it tough for me after defiance. But I’ll admit that when younger I was a cowboy before learning sense, and of course, it was both me and the gaffer at fault.

Well according to the news, the company had just had a ministry Vosa check at the depot 2 weeks earlier and were given a clean bill of health.

It also said that the driver had falsified his charts ny inserting a paper clip into his tacho to hide excessive hours, in his defence he had said that the customer was demanding unrealistic delivery times.

I agree with Bob, the driver can and should refuse but maybe the Corporate Manslaughter charges should go even further than they do.

Fish:
What really annoys me is that the idiots in Brussels have been spending millions of our Euros drafting not only new Tacho laws, but also extending the WTD to cover drivers to drastically reduce the hours we can legally work - all in the name of safety.

Maybe if they spent just a fraction of those millions on enforcing the current legislation and closing down these cowboys BEFORE they kill people the roads would be a sefer place for us all.

Fish.

There was an article in the paper here in Belgium about a police and ministry check done here.
In just two and a half hours the police imposed fines totalling twenty five thousand euro’s on trucks and drivers.And that was just fifteen trucks stopped in that time!
The offences ranged from bald tyres,duty free diesel and dangerous vehicles,however,the most fines were imposed for drivers working too many hours,not enough rest and falsifying tacho charts.
It’s about time they started doing something here,for a country that implements the law’s from Brussels it has one of the worst reputations for breaking those law’s.
Out of twenty odd firms around the area here where I live only three or four insist you drive by the book (and the one I work for is one of them).

Wheel Nut:
in his defence he had said that the customer was demanding unrealistic delivery times.

Now come on malc, i cant believe that ever happens!