19 Aug Father and son O-licences revoked
Two operator licences belonging to a father and son have been revoked after a traffic commissioner found they breached undertakings, did not meet financial standing and had racked up prohibitions and fixed penalties.
Simon Evans, TC for the North West, said Ashbourne, Derbyshire-based JLM European and sole trader William Morritt must both be removed from the industry and also that Morritt, his son Jamie and JLM were all “manifestly without repute.”
JLM European and its director Jamie was granted a licence in 2017 on the condition that father William played no part in the business.
However, it was called to a PI after it became apparent William had been added as a director in the Companies House record; vehicles had attracted prohibitions and MOT failure rates were worse than the national average.
William Morritt was also called to the same PI after a maintenance investigation found an absence of brake testing, an independent audit of licence compliance had not been carried out and vehicles had attracted fixed penalties for tacho and drivers’ hours offences.
At the PI, William was unable to demonstrate financial standing for his sole trader operation and he admitted that his licence was now operating “under the wing of JLM”.
He also admitted that he regarded the undertaking that he played no part in JLM as “less important that he now knew it to be.”
The undertaking that he obtained an independent audit on his sole trader licence had also not been carried out; in a written decision, TC Evans explained: “He believed that since DVSA had undertaken a maintenance inspection in July 2018 that this negated the need for him to arrange an audit.
“For a man so long involved in the haulage industry to offer such an excuse in belief it might be accepted is incredible.”
The TC revoked both operators’ licences and William was disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence.J
amie did not appear at the PI and the TC concluded: “In order to provide him with the opportunity to make representations about disqualification as a director, partner or sole trader in writing, or if he wishes, to do so orally in front of me, I do no more than indicate my intention in this decision.”
Source:https://www.commercialmotor.com/news/compliance/father-and-son-o-licences-revoked