Despite vehicle licence ban, Baldwin says “we’re open for business”

10 August 2016 by Will North

Print Page

Following a UK traffic commissioner’s decision to revoke the heavy truck licences of four Baldwins Crane Hire directors, executive chairman Richard Baldwin told Cranes Today the company remains open for business.

The traffic commissioner for North East England, Kevin Rooney, called a public inquiry in June into Baldwins’ restricted operators licences, which the company uses for support vehicles and trailers.  At the inquiry, Rooney decided to revoke these licences, and to disqualify directors Richard Baldwin,

Wayne Baldwin, Andrew Skelton and Lorraine Baldwin from holding these licences for a set period.

The inquiry came in the wake of Baldwins Crane Hire’s conviction in December 2015 on corporate manslaughter and health and safety charges, related to the death of crane operator Lindsay Easton.  Easton had died in 2011 when he lost control of a 130t mobile crane that he was driving down at steep hill at Scout Moor Quarry, near Rochdale.

Starting in 2015, the Drivers & Vehicles Standards Agency, had conducted two investigations into allegations of false records submitted by drivers, who had hidden periods of time working when they should have been resting between jobs.

Some drivers had, under interview, alleged that the company in general, and director Wayne Baldwin in particular, had instructed drivers to remove their driver cards whilst on site. Five drivers were convicted of false records offences in the first investigation, with a further 17 being referred for prosecution after a follow up investigation.

The traffic commissioner also looked into a series of maintenance and inspection failings identified by vehicle examiner Paul Stagnell.  The traffic commissioners’ inquiry drew on a wide range of evidence from drivers and officials, including some very frank confrontations in person and on Facebook between drivers, managers and directors, over how to report working hours.

The traffic commissioner concluded that drivers had falsified their records in order to ensure cranes would be on site ready to work on time and at times this had, directly and indirectly, been caused by director Wayne Baldwin.

Rooney explained that he had to consider ‘are things so bad that this operator needs to be put out of business now?’

He said, "The falsification of records to make it appear that drivers had taken appropriate rest goes absolutely to the heart of road safety. In the case of this operator, five out of seven drivers investigated in 2014 were found to be so offending. A follow-up investigation in 2015 found the offending, if anything had worsened with eighteen drivers found to be offending. This was at a time when the company had been under the DVSA spotlight as well as been subject to a Health and Safety Executive investigation in relation to the manslaughter of one of its drivers."

Rooney remarked that the failures at Baldwin Crane Hire were "so significant, so deep-routed and so inspired by the very top of the business" that it was appropriate to revoke their vehicle operating licences.

Rooney noted that, up until 2007, Baldwins had operated without a fleet of heavy trucks until 2007, saying, “I do not know if my decision will mean the end of Baldwin Crane Hire limited, but I make my judgement on proportionality on the assumption that it will. The failures at Baldwin Crane Hire are so significant so deep-rooted and inspired by the very top of the business that I find it entirely appropriate that this licence be revoked.”

Executive chairman Richard Baldwin was clear that the licences being withdrawn would not mean the end of the business.  He told Cranes Today, “We, through our solicitors plan to appeal the decision.  They are dealing directly with the traffic commissioner.

“The operators goods licences are for heavy trucks and support trailers.  This decision applies only to the haulage fleet and the trailers. This does not apply to the cranes.

“Baldwins will continue to hire all its cranes, including the heavy cranes.   We’ve had numerous calls from heavy haul transport companies looking to work with us.   Through our solicitors, we’re applying for a new licence on a new company, called Baldwins Support Services Ltd, with a new transport director in charge.

“We’re open for business, and the hiring of all our cranes will continue.”