Firm sanctioned after wheel comes off lorry and hits hearse
A skip and container firm has been penalised after wheels came off one of its lorries and struck a hearse that was part of a funeral cortege.
The nearside wheels came off the William Tracey refuse vehicle on a slip road off the M8, near Paisley, on 31 December last year.
One of them hit and damaged the hearse on Renfrew Road. No-one was injured.
The Traffic Commissioner has now reduced the firm's vehicle licences from 144 to 121 for a 10-week period.
In a written decision issued after a public inquiry, Traffic Commissioner for Scotland Joan Aitken, said: "Had there been proper wheel security processes the loss of these wheels simply would not have happened."
The commissioner acknowledged that while there was no history of adverse incidents for the operator, there had to be some regulatory action as a result of the wheel loss.
She said the sanction imposed would "serve as a marker to the operator".
The order will come into effect at midnight on 19 June.