An Inverness lorry driver killed in a head-on collision with another HGV was told to stop taking extra breaks on his 350 mile overnight round trips because it was causing knock-on delays to deliveries.
But the national carrier involved claimed the rest intervals were not the problem, it was the fact they were being charged for them that was the problem, a fatal accident inquiry was told at Inverness yesterday.
UPDATE: Lorry driver killed in A9 horror smash was “solely responsible” for collision
Alex Fraser, 50, of Morningfield Drive, died in the early morning of March 19 last year on the A9 at Lynchat, near Kingussie, in a crash between his M&H Carriers vehicle and an Argos lorry.
Yesterday, his widow Susanne told Sheriff Margaret Neilson that her husband was upset and angry because she claimed he was told by M&H not to take breaks the day before he died.
“The next day was his final trip. He was angry and pacing about and was unhappy about it. I believe he did not have a proper sleep the night before because he was so agitated.
“There was also construction work going on near our house and that didn’t help. I think he fell asleep at the wheel.
“He used to take an additional break heading towards Inverness around the Kingussie/Aviemore area but M&H told him he couldn’t.”
M&H’s tracker technology showed Mr Fraser didn’t take extra breaks on March 18 or 19.
Gaby Simpson of Highland Staff Solutions Ltd – who directly employed Mr Fraser – said she spoke to him about his extra breaks on March 17, two days before he was killed.
She said he was not declaring his extra breaks in his time-sheet and therefore was expecting to be paid.
She said: “I got a fax on the Monday from M&H complaining about Mr Fraser taking a lot of breaks and the length of them.
“They said it was causing delays in their deliveries and to get in touch with him about it.
“I didn’t tell him to stop taking breaks.” Ms Simpson added.
M&H depot manager Kenneth McGuigan said: “The breaks were not the issue. It was the fact that we were getting charged for them.”
Later yesterday, surviving lorry driver James Kenmure, 68, from Motherwell, told the inquiry he shut his eyes and thought “I am dead” when he saw Mr Fraser’s lorry heading right for him.
He added: “I saw him drifting towards me. He was going quite fast.
“I still have not got over it.”
