Breathing space for revoked operator
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AN I I -TRUCK operation has won a two-month breathing space from revocation to allow a new licence application to go ahead. Its director blamed a postal mix-up for having lost touch with the Traffic Area Office.
The Transport Tribunal dismissed an appeal by Colnbrook, West London-based Jason McNamara against the revocation of his licence by the Western TC, but decided that the revocation should not take effect until 1 April to give him time to apply for a fresh licence.
A cheque for the renewal fee was returned unpaid in May. The Traffic Area Office wrote to McNamara asking for an explanation and a replacement cheque, but there was no reply to that or to further requests.
The licence was revoked in August. In September McNamara wrote to the TAO, saying he had not received any correspondence until 15 September as he operated from a shared site where all the post was delivered to the front office without being sorted.
Appearing before the Tribunal. McNamara said he had obtained the relevant correspondence from the office of another company. Personal problems had prevented him taking a full interest in the business until September.
Dismissing the appeal. the Tribunal said TCs were entitled to assume, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, that letters sent to an operator's correspondence address had been received, even if there was no reply.Any other conclusion would cause difficulty for TAOs as well as allowing unscrupulous operators to abuse a system based on trust.