'Useless' operator has licence revoked and is disqualified
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THE BOSS OF A FIRM whose licence was revoked was described as "useless both as an operator and as a transport manager" by North-Eastern Traffic Commissioner Tom Macartney when he appeared at the company's third public inquiry in eight years' trading.
The TC revoked the licence of Bishop Auckland Carriers of Bishop Auckland and disqualified the company and its MD John Newton from holding or obtaining an 0-licence in anyTraffic Area indefinitely.
The company had been called before the TC because of concern over maintenance and hours.
Newton said he. felt the time had come to pack up. He had been in haulage with Bishop Auckland Carriers since 1998. A woeful lack of management over the past three to four years had been caused by financial problems resulting from over-ambitious expansion plans. All the creditors had been paid and nobody had lost money apart from himself.
TheTC noted that this was the company's third public inquiry. In August 2001 its licence had been suspended. In August 2(0 the licence was cut from 20 vehiclesand 20 trailers to three vehicles and three trailers.
The company came to Vosa's notice again following the issue of an S-marked prohibition indicating a serious lapse in maintenance. Its initial pass rate at annual test was 20% and a vehicle examiner reported there were no safety inspection records available.
Making the revocation and disqualification orders, theTC said that since the last public inquiry two immediate prohibitions had been issued, one of which was Smarked for multiple brake defects. What had gone on had led to the operation of unsafe vehicles.
Summary
uNFrr TO OPERATE The TC concluded that the company and its managing director were not fit to be in the haulage industry.