Commercial pressures caused Scottish operator to run unauthorised vehicles

23rd November 2006, Page 34

23rd November 2006

Page 34

Page 34, 23rd November 2006 — Commercial pressures caused Scottish operator to run unauthorised vehicles

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A SCOT FISH OPERATOR who claimed it was impossible to make money running legally has been taken off the road for two years after he admitted running unauthorised vehicles.

ScottishTrafficCommissionerJoan Aitken disqualified Loch rnaben-based Rik ki Stewart Brown,trading as RS Brown Haulage. from holding or obtaining an 0-licence in any Traffic Area for two years.

Brown accepted most of the traffic examiner's report about the unauthorised use but denied he had been running six vehicles.

He had been refused interim authority for the additional vehicles when he sought an increase.The TC pointed out that was because there was insufficient finance in place at the time. She noted that sufficient finance had become available in April and asked Brown why he had not hided his time.

Brown replied that he would have lost the work and the remainder of the work would also have been taken away. 1 le had been working for Tesco, and the "big boys"were trying to take over the work at Livingston. He claimed Eddie Stobart had won a grant from the Scottish Executive to do the work, and that 20 drivers had lost their work as a result.

He had decided to close down as there was "not enough money in it if you ran legally. You could only make money if you ran bent."