
A Shropshire haulier that demonstrated “a high level of deceit” has been disqualified indefinitely following a Birmingham public inquiry (PI).
Michael Millington, trading as international firm Bluebox Sameday Couriers, was found to have been operating for almost four years without a transport manager and subsequent DVSA investigations revealed lorry tachograph units had not been downloaded within the required 90 days.
Vehicles were driven without tacho cards on numerous occasions; one vehicle was given a prohibition for being 12% overloaded; another truck had been operated while untaxed for at least six weeks; and Millington was also found to have set up a limited company in the same name as his sole trader business and then operated lorries without applying for a licence.
In his written decision, deputy traffic commissioner (TC) Nick Denton said the offences all came to light after former transport manager Richard Holden wrote to his office stating that Millington was continuing to operate HGVs using his name, even though he had resigned in 2019.
Millington claimed he had only found out this was the case when he renewed his licence earlier this year, but the deputy TC said this was “a highly unlikely explanation”.
The operator did not appear at the PI, but Denton said: “Millington is not of good repute. He has managed his O-licence in a wholly non-compliant manner, unsurprisingly given the absence of a transport manager. He has practised a high level of deceit in pretending over an extended period of time that Mr Holden was still exercising the function of transport manager.
“He has also demonstrated a frivolous attitude to the regulatory regime by first exercising his right to request a public inquiry, thereby delaying the revocation of the licence by more than three months, and then refusing to attend that same inquiry.”
Revoking the licence, Denton said Millington had stated he was going to retire; nevertheless, he said he would also disqualify him: “The deliberate deception and degree of unlawful operation of vehicles make a disqualification order appropriate in this case. He should not be permitted to hold an O-licence again.
“Millington is free to request (and attend) a hearing before a traffic commissioner if he wishes to argue that the disqualification be time-limited or curtailed,”
he added.