Beverly Bell… A Classic example of small woman syndrome!
she gives out 1-5 weeks licence suspensions to bus drivers sending a text while parked up at the side of the road!
she HATES drivers, god help anyone who goes up in front of her, i know a few who have and it doesnt go well!
B…
Well to be fair she did make a sound argument, VOSA should be going after the operators who deliberately and regularly ignore the regulations and safety rather than the driver who now and again commits relatively minor infringements.
But I think she may have missed the point that if VOSA are doing their job right, the “tough ■■■■■■■■■ of highly non-compliant operators, who show a total disregard for road safety” that she talks about, will be fewer in numbers and therefore there will be less ending up in front of the courts or the TC.
I wonder if this could be a case of TCs feeling a little left out of things because of VOSAs success in dealing with the “■■■■■■■■ none compliant operators” ?
Small operators and drivers are easy meat.
Probably most of them try to operate within the law most of the time, but don’t have the expertise to conform 100%, 100% of the time.
|When they get caught they don’t have a specialist lawyer on call, and either just roll over or launch hopeless defences.
In contrast a big company can afford specialist advice that allows it to operate to the limit of the law. If a prosecution is attempted if can bring a big gun lawyer out, and ‘prior disclosure of defence’ means that the CPS takes one look at the weight of the defence argument and declines to prosecute.
The British legal system’s primary purpose is to enable the rich to defend themselves against the poor, and it’s getting more like that every day.
Bungle666:
Beverly Bell… A Classic example of small woman syndrome!she gives out 1-5 weeks licence suspensions to bus drivers sending a text while parked up at the side of the road!
she HATES drivers, god help anyone who goes up in front of her, i know a few who have and it doesnt go well!
B…
I don’t believe that.
If the bus is at the side off the road with engine off and handbrake applied then whats the problem there.
Although the passengers might have a whinge.
GasGas:
The British legal system’s primary purpose is to enable the rich to defend themselves against the poor, and it’s getting more like that every day.
I agree. That’s hit the nail right on the head!
EastAnglianTrucker:
GasGas:
The British legal system’s primary purpose is to enable the rich to defend themselves against the poor, and it’s getting more like that every day.I agree. That’s hit the nail right on the head!
I also agree 100%. It just wouldn’t do to have a “Legal System” that was non-compliant with what the super-wealthy demand.
Is it only a pipe dream for the law to be equally applied to all, which is what “Rule of Law” is supposed to be all about?
There should be QUEUES of toffs lining up at magistrate’s court for their fines and endorsements because you can’t look up when driving around posh areas without seeing some flash car coming out of a corner, with some bod holding a phone to their ear… 
Then there’s white van man… Don’t get me started! 
In my opinion, the long-serving Beverley Bell is one of the few Traffic Commissioners to exhibit a decent amount of common sense, most of the time.
As to the bus driver/texting matter, I have to say that the law regarding bus drivers is sometimes a little different to that which applies to us lowly lorry pilots:
If the bus is at a bus stop OR if the bus has passengers on board OR if the engine is running and the driver is at the controls, then he is assumed to be ON DUTY and is subject to a slightly more rigorous interpretation of certain laws than us.
For example, most of us lorry drivers could get away with having a ■■■ while driving around this sceptered isle but if a bus driver were to light up, it would almost amount to a hanging offence.
Not to mention most Neanderthals don’t like bev because she’s a woman in a position of power.
Gasgas. you sir are a sage & a scholar.
…or a cynic!
But thanks, anyway.
I often wonder why VOSA don’t set up shop outside Harwich (or presumably most other ports). Every time I go in there, I’m amazed at the number of foreign units sitting around waiting for the next ferry trailer. I bet about 70% of all LIT, Walters, Ferrymasters etc trailers I see on the road is being pulled by a foreign unit - are they really all on one of their 3 permitted cabotage trips, or are they permanently based here and a blind eye is being turned?
Gary
Pitty she can’t get the bus drivers to park parallel to the curb in a bus stop!
scaniason:
I often wonder why VOSA don’t set up shop outside Harwich (or presumably most other ports). Every time I go in there, I’m amazed at the number of foreign units sitting around waiting for the next ferry trailer. I bet about 70% of all LIT, Walters, Ferrymasters etc trailers I see on the road is being pulled by a foreign unit - are they really all on one of their 3 permitted cabotage trips, or are they permanently based here and a blind eye is being turned?Gary
You are obviously hitting the ports at the wrong time( or possibly right time) VOSA are around ports like flies round ■■■■■■ Holyhead checkpoint, Castle Kennedy checkpoint, Dover checkpoint and Immingham weighbridge almost exclusively deal with traffic going to and from ports there are very few ports in the UK that do not have a weighbridge on their main approach route or where there isn’t a permanent weighbridge they will enter the actual port.
I go into Harwich several times a week most weeks, and have never seen a VOSA presence there at all, or on the road leading to it. If they are covering all the other ports, how are all these foreign wagons getting away with the ferry trailers - there is no way that the Romanians & Bulgies are going back home every 3rd trip, so surely they should be getting picked off like flies.
And why is the weighbridge on the entrance to the port, and not the exit? By the time you get there, if you’re overweight, the offence has been committed, no?
Gary
scaniason:
I go into Harwich several times a week most weeks, and have never seen a VOSA presence there at all, or on the road leading to it. If they are covering all the other ports, how are all these foreign wagons getting away with the ferry trailers - there is no way that the Romanians & Bulgies are going back home every 3rd trip, so surely they should be getting picked off like flies.And why is the weighbridge on the entrance to the port, and not the exit? By the time you get there, if you’re overweight, the offence has been committed, no?
Gary
VOSA are in Harwich on a fairly regular basis but as they are targeting ferry traffic then they are in there when the boats are due to sail and the weighbridges on the approach roads to the ports are also on the exits too think about it you just cross the road to enter them if you are going the other way
The only time I’ve ever heard a TC mentioned is here on TNUK.
The only TC I’ve ever heard mentioned is Beverley Bell.
Either Bev has a Mahoosive EGO, or TNUK is geared up to promote/slag off Bev.
Either way, I find diminutive wimmin attractive, in fact, I have been a naughty boy on several occasions just on the off chance that I might have to appear before her.
I think with vosa because they have targets to meet and are now self funding its a lot more cost effective to dish out fixed penalty s at the roadside for various minor mr meaners than launch full scale operations targeting rouge operaters
It’s a bit like the police reporting crime figures there exaggerated
I mean how many times do u read in various publications that vosa mounted a 24 hour operation stopin some 500 hgvs and some 62% where found to have defects
When in reality it was probably only about 10% that had serious defects the rest where probably v min or things like a bulb out or no washer bottle fluid
I’m not anti vosa but I think self funding is a big mistake because in theory if they never found any defects on the lorrys they stopd that day who would have footed the bill for the 24 hours worth of wages running costs etc
jessicas dad:
Bungle666:
Beverly Bell… A Classic example of small woman syndrome!she gives out 1-5 weeks licence suspensions to bus drivers sending a text while parked up at the side of the road!
she HATES drivers, god help anyone who goes up in front of her, i know a few who have and it doesnt go well!
B…
I don’t believe that.
If the bus is at the side off the road with engine off and handbrake applied then whats the problem there.
Although the passengers might have a whinge.
its absolutely 100% true mate, we had to switch engine off and get out of the cab in order to send a text, all because Ms Bell deemed engine running and sitting in the cab as “driving”… why do you think i changed career from bus driving to HGVs??
I got “caught” by a management spy, sending a text from a bus layby. management had me in, suspended me and the CCTV had me bang to rights. I was also informed they (the management) would be reporting me to the traffic commissioner (Beverly bell) AND they would be providing her with the CCTV evidence… FFS!
the union basically told me i was bang to rights due to the CCTV…
I was left with no choice but to resign with the agreement they kept it away from Ms Bell! they agreed, and I jacked!
Beverly Bell is NASTY piece of work, who DESPISES drivers ESPECIALLY bus drivers!
B…
Beverly Bell has since taking office as a TC had one agenda and one agenda only…Beverly Bell.Disliked the woman since she seemed since taking office to be seeking
excessive personal publicity aided and abetted by Commercial Motor who in my opinion hung on her every word.I have long believed that my industry should be self governing,
senior members at the end of their driving time could take on the mantle of the work of the likes of Vosa and Bell.Good common sense delivered with experience.What is always
forgotten is that these TC’s dish out operators licences,here’s your licence,rates are lousy,you probably won’t make any money and will probably end up running bent which will
keep us in a job so get on fill your boots.