Crane hire firm’s licences revoked and four directors banned

BALDWINS Crane Hire, which has depots in Warrington, Birmingham and Leeds, has had its vehicle licences revoked and four directors have been disqualified after its drivers falsified records.

The Transport Commissioner’s ruling follows a probe into the company which found that drivers faked rest breaks to ensure cranes would be on site and ready for work on time.

Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney 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.”

Baldwins Crane Hire convicted of corporate manslaughter and fined £700,000 in December last year fafter the death of a driver in a crash in East Lancashire.

Rooney added: “I do not know if my decision will mean the end of Baldwins Crane Hire limited, but I make my judgement on proportionality on the assumption that it will.

“The failures at Baldwins 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.”

In a letter circulated to its employees, the company claimed the Transport Commissioner’s decision did not ban the use of mobile cranes.

“The decision to revoke the company’s operators licence only relates to its ancillary haulage fleet which was fun by the transport management team,” it said. “The directors also deny that they had any knowledge of drivers falsifying their time records.

“Since the company’s findings of the failures of the former transport managers and drivers in mid 2014 to early 2015, the new directors immediately replaced the entire transports management team, including adding a new transport director plus a compliance manager and two new transport operational/logistics managers.

“This new management team has replaced the failing drivers.”

The revocation of the company’s two licences will take effect from September 10.

Meanwhile, orders for disqualification of Richard Baldwin, Wayne Baldwin, Andrew Skelton and Lorraine Baldwin will take effect on the same date.