Barking boss disqualified after lying to get licence

The traffic commissioner for the south east has disqualified a haulage boss for seven years after finding that he lied to obtain an operator licence and then proceeded to operate unsafely. TC Sarah Bell said Chris Curran had shown a reckless disregard for anything other than his own personal and commercial needs and he had demonstrated a lack of respect for the police, DVSA, TCs and the courts.

Curran held a licence for one vehicle and one trailer for his business Groundform Piling, based in Barking. However, it subsequently came to light that the director had changed his date of birth on the application form to avoid scrutiny of his adverse licence history.

Curran had previously presided over CCC Skips, which had its licence revoked, CC Skips, which was warned by the TC about not holding an operator licence, and CC Construction, which was refused a licence. A vehicle belonging to the latter firm was stopped by the police in 2020 on two occasions and found to have no insurance, no tax and being operated without a licence.

Groundform Piling was eventually called to a public inquiry after it applied to increase its licence authorisation and the DVSA expressed concerns about Curran having ineffective control. The director did not appear at the Eastbourne hearing, but TC Bell decided to proceed with it in his absence.

In her written decision explaining her revocation decision, the TC said that without any alternative explanation from Curran, she found that he deliberately shortened his name and changed his birth date to obtain an O-licence: “Further, Mr Curran obtained this licence with no intention of improving his attitude to compliance and road safety,” she said. “His recent conviction for driving whilst disqualified demonstrates his contempt for the law extends beyond operator licensing.”

Bell said there were no meaningful positives and the case fell into the severe category: “Mr Curran’s history shows that he is mendacious and manipulative to a point where disqualification is appropriate and necessary. It is in the public interest for Mr Curran to be prevented from legitimately entering into commercial vehicle operations. In my judgement a disqualification of seven years properly reflects my concerns.”