Reputes tarnished after involvement with untrustworthy operator

A London-based sole trader has been disqualified for two years after a deputy traffic commissioner found he had been operating for significant periods without a transport manager. DTC John Baker said Christopher McMillan also did not fully co-operate with nominated transport managers Jonathan Morton and Lloyd McIntosh when they were in the post.

McMillan told an Eastbourne PI that he was not expecting to be able to continue holding an O-licence after a DVSA desk-based assessment uncovered significant numbers of compliance failings. McIntosh said he had encountered difficulties communicating with McMillan while he was working for him and he was not sent documents that he had requested. Eventually he resigned from the position.

Morton was too ill to attend the PI, but he emailed the DTC before the inquiry to say he had only agreed to be on the licence for six months and had sent several messages to McMillan demanding that he was taken off.

Revoking the licence, Baker said Morton was a very experienced transport manager and he should not have allowed McMillan to add him to his licence without taking proper steps to undertake his duties. As a result, he said his repute was severely tarnished. Baker added that McIntosh was slower than he should have been in resigning and so his repute was also tarnished.