‘Frivolous’ director disqualified indefinitely

A Leicester operator with “little or no idea of the rules” about running trucks has had its licence revoked for long-standing failings.

In addition, deputy traffic commissioner Nicholas Denton said Salid Ahmed had behaved in a frivolous manner by requesting a public inquiry and then failing to attend the hearing and so he disqualified the operator indefinitely.

Ahmed, who traded as Leicester Paper Products and had permission to operate four HGVs, was stopped by the DVSA at the roadside where the enforcement agency discovered he had been driving without a CPC for four years after it had expired.

His vehicle was not displaying an operator licence disc, it was not specified on his licence and Ahmed was driving without a tachograph card.

A report created after a follow-up visit to the company’s premises marked the operator as unsatisfactory after it found there was no system in place for analysing tachographs, vehicles were given safety inspections every 12 weeks instead of the stated four, its initial MOT failure rate was very high at 75% and there appeared to have been a change of entity to a limited company without informing the TC.

On the basis of the report’s findings, Ahmed was told its licence was being revoked but he requested a PI to discuss the issues.

However, he did not appear at the subsequent hearing.

In his written decision, DTC Denton said: “By failing to attend the inquiry that he himself requested, Mr Ahmed has prevented himself from being able to put any countervailing arguments as to why his licence should not be revoked.

“It is clear from DVSA’s report and the statistics that he has little or no idea of the rules applicable to and standards required of HGV operators and is not a fit person to hold an operator’s licence.”

Denton added: “Because of Mr Ahmed’s manifest and long-lasting failings as an operator, and because he has behaved in a frivolous manner by requesting a public inquiry and then failing to attend it, I conclude that he should be disqualified under Section 28 from holding or obtaining an operator’s licence in the future and from being the director of any company holding or obtaining such a licence.”