A West Midlands sole trader who used an unauthorised operating centre for 15 years has been disqualified and had his O-licence revoked.
Traffic commissioner (TC) for the West Midlands Nicholas Denton said Leonard Jerram, who held a restricted O-licence for one HGV, was called to a PI after he received a report from the DVSA. It stated that Jerram had been using an unauthorised operating centre at Bridge Nurseries Cannock for 15 years. It also said that the operator’s HGV had incurred an S-marked prohibition in March 2019 for a fractured and failed brake disc. The defect was long standing and should have been picked up and repaired by the maintenance contractor.
The DVSA found no evidence of any driver walk-around checks having been carried out; no preventative maintenance inspection had taken place since October 2018 and records were stored in the vehicle rather than an office.
In August 2019, Jerram returned his licence disc to the TC’s office, stating that he no longer required it and was in the process of selling his vehicle. He also said that as a result, he would not be attending the forthcoming PI.
Denton said Jerram’s understanding of an operator’s responsibilities fell far below the level of understanding required and he was not fit to hold a licence. He revoked the licence. He said: “I am disqualifying him indefinitely, but he is free to request a hearing before a TC if he wishes to argue for the disqualification to be time-limited or cancelled.”
