The traffic commissioner for the West Midlands has revoked the licence of a Wednesbury operator that was acting as a front for another haulier and disqualified its director for two years.
Miles Dorrington said Dominic’s Haulage deserved to be put out of business and he could find no positives in the case.
Director Antony Hignell and former transport manager Nikki Vee did not appear at the public inquiry, but the TC said both knew the hearing was taking place so he proceeded in their absence.
He said the company had used an unauthorised operating centre, which was a criminal offence, and it had also been acting as a front for revoked licence holder WED Logistics.
Neither the director nor the transport manager had co-operated with the DVSA, which Dorrington said was unacceptable.
He added that it was not even of the appropriate financial standing as the operator had failed to provide any evidence that it had access to at least £17,000 as an average balance over the previous three months.
“Given the severity of the findings that I have made, and with a complete lack of any, or any meaningful, evidence in response to the DVSA investigations and public inquiry process the operator and transport manager have missed out on the clear opportunities to both explain themselves and to offer mitigation or positives that I could take into account,” the TC said.
“This case falls squarely into the severe category for consideration of regulatory action.
“The lending of the operator’s licence to a revoked operator so they could continue to operate with the veneer of legitimacy is the very worst type of conduct an operator can engage in.
“Such proven conduct alone cuts so deep to the issue of trust that in and of itself it is enough for such an entry point for consideration of regulatory action to be made.”
Dorrington added that it was inconceivable that any effective transport manager would not have known what was going on and so he disqualified Vee for two years.
Hignell was also disqualified and the TC warned that any operating of the company’s vehicles would now be an offence and the DVSA would prosecute the firm.
