Continental trucks went untaxed
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A policy decision not to tax vehicles operating on the Continent has led to the revocation of the licence held by Basildon-based Lakeguard The company, appear ing before t Eastern Traffic Commissioner Geoffrey Simms at a Cambridge disciplinary inquiry, held a licence authorising 40 vehicles and 12 trailers.
Traffic examiner Peter Ironmonger said a check on the DVLA database revealed that six vehicles were untaxed: one for three months; two for nine months; and one for 13 months. Tacho records showed use of three of those vehicles within the UK or between the UK and the Continent. There were no records available for three vehicles; missing charts amounted to 1,102km for a fourth vehicle and 3,558km for a fifth.
Transport manager Roy Bowden said three of the vehicles had been based on the Continent operating between France, Spain and the Netherlands.
The company's foreign-based business partners insisted on keeping the tachograph charts to carry out their checks before sending them on. After a time they ceased to forward the charts and that finally led the company to terminate the contract.
Acknowledging the requirement to tax vehicles in the UK, director David Read said the failures had been caused by relying on a man ual system. That had been superseded by a computerised system. He said the company would pay the outstanding VED of .£3,568 that was owing on the four vehicles.
Holding that neither the company nor Bowden met the requirement to be of good repute, the TC said it had been admitted that there had been no intention to tax vehi