Ineffective control ends in director disqualification

Chris Tindall
June 22, 2024

 

The director of a Sutton Coldfield transport firm has been disqualified for 18 months after the deputy traffic commissioner said he had a “woeful” understanding of operator licensing.

GB Concrete & Pump appeared before DTC Laura Thomas at a Birmingham public inquiry after a DVSA investigation revealed a range of failings at the firm.

The inspection was prompted by a roadside encounter with one of its vehicles, which was found to have an insecure load with no load securing in place.

The DVSA then discovered the business, which operated six HGVs, was not maintaining adequate inspection records, driver defect reporting, wheel and tyre management or keeping on top of load security.

The traffic examiner concluded that the shortcomings were likely to be caused by a lack of having any responsible person in control.

At the PI, director Manjinder Singh said he had difficulty understanding English and that he had relied on his son to interpret, but his son had left the business in 2019 and since then he had no-one to translate official documents.

Singh said he had rectified mistakes and had learnt from them, but DTC Thomas said the DVSA evidence told her otherwise:

“I did not find Mr Singh to be a credible witness,” she said in her written decision.

“In some breath he told me he knew what the requirements were in holding an operator licence and in another he told me he didn’t understand, and he was sorry.

“He simply could not provide me with any assurances as to his fitness to hold a licence.”

The DTC said there had been wide-ranging, numerous and serious failings which had led to undue risk to road safety over a protracted period.

GB Concrete & Pump was in the process of being sold and Singh said he had no intention of being involved in a company requiring a licence in the future, but DTC Thomas said the operator deserved to be put out of business.

“It is clear to me that operator licence compliance has not been a priority for this operator, with serious consequences for road safety,” she said.

“I determine that I cannot trust this operator going forward; actions speak louder than words and this operator’s inactions have led me to this conclusion.”

The licence was revoked and Singh disqualified.

About the Author

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Chris Tindall

Chris Tindall started writing for the haulage and logistics industry in 2002 and has covered a broad range of significant issues, including GPS jamming by criminals, platooning and Brexit.

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