Smuggler gets licence ban
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A Solihull international haulier who is serving a 21month prison sentence for smuggling tobacco has had his Operator's Licence revoked and has been disqualified indefinitely from holding or obtaining a licence.
Robert James, trading as Robert James Transport, held a licence for 15 vehicles and five trailers. He was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court in August 1999 of evading Customs duty.
At a Birmingham disciplinary inquiry West Midland Traffic Commissioner David Dixon reflected that James had been convicted of a serious offence defined as an offence resulting in more than three months' imprisonment and so had lost his good repute.
In the absence of any financial information the TC could not be satisfied that James was of the appropriate financial standing. Also, James was the CPC holder and nominated trans
port manager for the business, and he could not fulfil that requirement from prison. This meant the professional competence requirement was not being met.
The TC said that according to a report from a vehicle examiner it seemed that the business was not trading from its authorised operating centre. He had no information on who was running the business or indeed, on what basis they were purporting to runt.
The vehicle examiner had marked James' maintenance report as unsatisfactory, with inspection records only going back to January. It was claimed that the former fitter had taken the previous inspection records with him. It was also said that drivers were reporting defects verbally and that they were not routinely issued with defect report books.
Two immediate and two delayed prohibitions had been imposed on James' vehicles, one of which was for a sigffi cant maintenance failure. Financial information had not been supplied.
Revoking the licence, withdrawing James' Community Authorisations and making the disqualification order; the TC said James had disregarded the requirements of the licensing system by failing to comply with
various undertakings. These included making proper arrangements to keep his vehicles fit and serviceable; to ensure that drivers reported defects promptly in writing: to
ensure that inspection records were kept for 15 months; and to make them available on demand,