wow. lots to look at here.
I'm 90% certain its not illegal to record a conversation which you are involved in, in person. indeed, in a previous court hearing, i had a TRANSCRIPT of a recording accepted. i may well be wrong ( it has happened before)
For now, lets just say these recordings are for my own use, in order to remind me of exactly what was said, when and where, in case i need those details for a court case. Happy ?
Anyway, after speaking to a freind of friend, who works with vosa - he told me that if i informed my employer of the fault, and they told me to " drive on" then the issues stands with them. Breaking the law is not the matter here. defective brakes carry a £60 fine, and 3 points ( for the driver) at the discression of the police, who will generally not get involved. defective brakes for the operator carry huge penalties, and if im not mistaken, are often decided by the PF.
@ postggj
they are o-licence exempt ( recovery)
there is NO defect book for ANY of the lorrys. hence why me telling them about the defective brakes was verbal. and the windscreen.
my understanding is that its the owners responsability to PROVIDE the driver with a means of reporting defects. If i'm not given a defect book, how else can i report defects other than verbally ?
@ Mash It Up Harry.
Although i was aware of " a brake problem " - i wasn't aware that it would affect me to the extent it did during an emergeny stop. i took a photo of the NSF brake, and sent it to a mechanic friend to ask if it was normal. had i known that the brakes were THAT defective, i would have refused to drive it regardless of the outcome. beleive me, its opened my eyes, and i'll never risk my, or anyone elses life in that way again. all 3 999 serives attended, and all 3 agreed that if i wasn't wearing a seatbelt, it would have been a fatal accident.
as where i understand the points you all have made, please understand mine.
I've found myself working for a company who seem to have a total lack of regard for safety - indeed a complete lack of maintence AND or service on their fleet.
IF i refused to drive the truck, due to any defect, i know i'd be sacked on the spot. with no evidence, what leg do i have to stand on.
I will likely be asked to fix the brakes myself. I'll be refusing to do so, based on the fact that if i replace the brakes, and then they fail, and someone dies, i'll be directly responsable.
while i'm here, i'll thank you all for your input, positive OR negative - and i assure you that it's all taken on board.
i'm just glad it wasn't a young mother who stepped out onto a zebra crossing just infront of me, otherwise i'd be writing this from a jail cell.
I'm due back at work in a few days, and not looking foward to the resulting outcome.