Purfleet freight company Deon slammed in public inquiry

Essex haulier Deon Freight has had its knuckles rapped for failing to bring the correct documentation to a public inquiry (PI) held in Cambridge last week, over its maintenance record reports roadtransport.com

Adjourning the hearing until an unconfirmed date in February, Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) Miles Dorrington said the Purfleet-based company had attempted to “paint itself in the best possible light” by bringing along preventative maintenance inspection (PMI) sheets covering two new DAF trucks purchased in November, eight photocopied sheets from the period covering June to December 2010, as well as no driver defect reports.

This was despite the inquiry call-up letter sent to the firm in December requesting full and original PMI sheets and driver defect reporting records for the six months from June 2010.

The DTC said that if Deon Freight – authorised for two vehicles – failed to provide VOSA with the records requested for the June to December period within one week, the organisation could seize them, and that “adverse inferences” could be drawn.

He added: “In my view you’ve cherry picked the best reports and did not bring the documents requested.

“I have made no determination on your application at this stage and don’t want to reach any conclusions until I have seen the full picture for the past six months.”

Scott Sumpton, transport manager at Deon Freight since May 2010, told the DTC: “It was not a case of cherry picking, but I have failed to do what was asked of me.

“There is nothing to hide here, we just failed to prepare for the PI correctly.”

Paul Wiggins, VOSA vehicle examiner, told the inquiry how he had carried out a maintenance investigation into the company in February 2010 which had proved unsatisfactory.

Deon Freight had picked up a total of seven prohibitions, which included one vehicle with a leaking brake pipe.

Wiggins said: “Lots of these could have been avoided if drivers had carried out the proper walk-around checks.”

The DTC also adjourned the PI to consider an application for 22 vehicles from related company Riverside Freight Chilled – with Sumpton listed as its director – to the same unconfirmed date in February.

Dorrington added: “It is fundamental to be able to examine the repute of the transport manager of Deon Freight before considering the Riverside application.”