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Welsh brothers turn backs on trucks following inquiry
Page 8
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By Chris Tindatt A NEWPORT operator forced to defend his repute following the liquidation of his family's haulage business says he has turned his back on running lorries in light of the recession.
Chris Mason has branded the Welsh Traffic Area's decision to call him and his brother Roland to a public inquiry to consider any disciplinary action -ludicrous':
The brothers ran RJ Mason Transport until it went into voluntary liquidation in March, after turnover fell by 40% in the space of a year.
They also run Caldicot-based warehousing and storage business 0 Mason Transport, and it was their decision to upgrade its 0-licence to cover international work a month before the liquidators were appointed at R7 Mason that prompted the call-up letter.
The Traffic Commissioner decided no action needed to be taken, and both men's reputes remain intact. But Chris Mason says it cost them thousands of pounds in legal fees during an already difficult time.
Speaking to CM, he says: "My brother was the international operator, so we put Roland onto my licence. We have no plans to use it, but in the future, we don't know where we arc going to be or what we will do if the economy picks up again.
"There was no inappropriate operating, or ripping money out of the business. Between Roland and myself, we ploughed money in. Effectively, we were the biggest losers."
He says they had to let staff go and now run the warehousing firm themselves without using lorries: "If it turns out this is the route to go, we have the licence and our repute," he says. "But at this moment, trucks are a long way away."
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