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'Blatant' deception costs operator its licence
Page 33
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A Yorkshire firm suffers the consequences after allowing its 0-licence to be used by a revoked haulier. Mike Jewell reports.
A WEST YORKSHIRE operator has had its licence revoked for allowing it to be used by a company that was banned from operating.
Keighley-based John S Feather, which held an eight-vehicle international licence, had been called before the North-Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartneybut failed to appear. It had allowed its licence to be used by Preston, Lanes-based Gafoor Poultry Products, whose licence had been revoked.
The John S Feather licence has been revoked with immediate effect and the company and its directors disqualified from holding or obtaining an 0-licence in any Traffic Area indefinitely.
Vehicle examiner Lindsay Snowdon told the TC she had visited the John S Feather premises in July after vehicles had been impounded. There were no vehicles on site and the premises were suitable only for two rigid vehicles. No maintenance records were available.
Director and transport manager John Feather told Snowdon he was unaware who the maintenance contractor was, and was unaware of the operation carried out under the licence. He had said transport consultant Michael Ellis acted as his agent, but he had not wanted to answer any questions without Ellis being present.
Traffic examiner Nigel Pollard told the TC that Gafoor Poultry Products had specified five of its vehicles on the John S Feather licence. Feather had said that the arrangement had been made by Ellis and was unable to produce any tachograph records for the five vehicles.
Traffic examiner Raymond Taylor said that on 3 July a vehicle was impounded at the Cuerden weighbridge site after delivering halal poultry products in the Bradford area.
The vehicle was displaying an 0-licence disc in the name of John S Feather.The vehicle was registered to, insured and taxed by Gafoor Poultry Products, and it had previously been specified on that company's licence before it was revoked. The driver told Taylor that the vehicle was parked overnight in Preston.
Doubt over employer When asked who he was working for,the driver had initially said John S Feather after looking at a piece of paper. Taylor was told by a police officer that as the driver came into the check site he was on the telephone and he surmised that he was asking who he was supposed to be working for. Subsequently under caution the driver said he was employed by Gafoor. The driver later telephoned wanting to retract that statement and he considered that he had been put under pressure.
The TC said it was a had case involving the "deliberate deception" of Vosa enforcement staff and theTC. It was plain that the company's licence had been used so Gafoor could continue to operate. It was the most blatant case he had heard for some years of an operator allowing its licence to be used as a front for others who were unfit to hold an 0-licence in their own name.
He noted with concern Ellis' involvement and said no document from his firm would he accepted by the licensing staff without reference personally to a full-time, permanentTC. •