By Sarah Newstead

Last updated at 15:08, Tuesday, 09 September 2008

Drivers at a Wigton coach firm who were behind the wheel for up to 21 hours without a break put themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk.

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The warning came from North West Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell at a hearing at Kendal Magistrates’ Court yesterday, where 24 drivers who had worked for Reays Coaches were given verbal warnings.

Five others had their licences suspended for up to 56 days.

The drivers admitted a variety of offences leading back to 2006 including breaching rules on working hours, rest breaks and journey records whilst operating heavy goods vehicles and coaches for the firm.

Some falsified names and information on tachograph records.

The court heard one driver was behind the wheel for 16 days without a rest day. His journeys included two school bus runs.

Mrs Bell said Reays had not provided all of their drivers with the proper training and had not carried out necessary checks into working hours.

“The rules are very straightforward and it is easy for most drivers and operators to comply. They are there not just to protect other road users, they are there to protect drivers from unscrupulous employers and sometimes from themselves,” she said.

“This was quite an exceptional case having to deal with lots of individuals in one organisation.

“A lot of drivers feel the rules do not apply to them. You have heard of one driver who drove for 21 hours – I would be failing in my duty if I did not take that driver off the road.”

Yesterday’s hearing followed a series of driver prosecutions over falsified journey records and a hearing in July where nine further drivers were given verbal warnings and one other was suspended for a week.

Reays was also criticised at July’s hearing where Mrs Bell withdrew its licence to operate three HGVs. Its licence to operate coaches and buses was also cut from 40 to 25 vehicles for a period of three months.

The commissioner said the company was paying “lip service to the rules” and called into question the reputation of company boss Christopher Reay, who was ordered to step down as transport manager.

A spokesman for the coach firm said only two of the drivers at yesterday’s hearing remain employed by Reays. and that none of the cases led to incidents or accidents.

He added: “Reays Coaches co-operated fully with the investigation and has since brought in a series of new training procedures and working practices.”

Reays provides transport for children from 13 schools across the county and has provided public bus services for Cumbria County Council for 10 years.

Regulations state that drivers must take a break every four-and-a-half hours and cannot drive for over nine hours in 24 hours.

SNewstead@cngroup.co.uk

First published at 11:47, Tuesday, 09 September 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk