A haulage boss who lost his vocational driving entitlement 15 years ago was pulled over by the DVSA for driving an overloaded vehicle that wasn’t specified on any licence.
The traffic commissioner for Wales, Victoria Davies, said sole trader Robyn Llewellyn had shown “a complete disregard for the law” and had behaved in a very difficult and uncooperative manner towards the enforcement agency.
Llewellyn appeared before the TC at a Pontypridd public inquiry after his vehicle was stopped on the M4 between Magor and Coldra.
DVSA officers said the truck, driven by Llewellyn, was laden with hay bales and was found to be overloaded and leaning into the direction of passing traffic.
Checks then revealed that the HGV was not specified on Llewellyn’s licence and despite him being advised by three DVSA examiners over a 25-month period to specify it, he had failed to do so.
In addition, it then became apparent that Llewellyn did not hold a category C driving licence entitlement.
At the PI, the operator, who was also the nominated transport manager, said he had lost his professional driving licence in 2005 following a DVLA medical.
However, Llewellyn said he thought his consultant had spoken to the DVLA to tell them he was fit to continue driving and that his entitlement should be reinstated.
Llewellyn could not explain why he failed to cooperate with the DVSA when they investigated his firm, but he apologised for his behaviour at the PI.
Despite this lack of cooperation, the agency was able to find that he had exercised ineffective management control and had demonstrated insufficient systems to prevent O-licence compliance failings.
There were no analysis procedures to detect falsification, drivers’ hours or working time infringements and he made no changes to ensure future compliance at the time of the PI.
TC Davies said: “It is particularly concerning that, in his capacity as transport manager, Mr Llewellyn repeatedly drove a vehicle which he knew he was not licensed to drive.
“He also failed to specify a vehicle on the licence when he knew it was a legislative requirement to do so.”
She found that he had lost his repute as a transport manager and so revoked the licence and also disqualified him from acting as a transport manager on any other licence.
