Johal Dairies loses O-licence bid to run more trucks

Johal Dairies has lost a bid to increase its vehicle fleet, and told by a Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) it had "only just avoided severe regulatory action" because of its past history.

At a public inquiry (PI) in Birmingham on 11 and 12 May, West Midlands DTC Miles Dorrington rejected the Wolverhampton-based firm's application to increase its O-licence authorisation from 15 to 20 trucks. The DTC also issued Johal Dairies with a formal warning.

At the PI, the DTC looked at a previous PI in September 2008, where the firm had its licence cut from 20 vehicles to 15.

The decision was a result of drivers' hours and tachograph breaches, as well as overloading and vehicle maintenance record convictions at the company.

Also, in June 2009, a court case in Birmingham ruled that Johal Dairies had paid a man £40,000 to steal sales records from a rival so it could poach its customers.

Dorrington said he believed the firm had made efforts to improve its operations, and had run a compliant operation for the past 14 months. However, he decided this was not enough evidence for him to grant the increase in vehicles.

No one from Johal Dairies was available for comment.