1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198 
Stobart must apply for new 0-licence
Page 6
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Eddie Stobart has lost its Eastern Area 0-licence, but it has been given time to apply for a new one. Mike Jewell reports.
HIGH-PROF1LE haulage firm Eddie Stobart has lost its 290vehicle 0-licence in the Eastern Traffic Area for inadequate finance and the lack of an effective transport manager.
However, TC Geoffrey Simms directed the revocation should not take effect until midnight on 30 June, allowing the company to make a fresh licence application.
The trouble arose following the firm's takeover by WA Developments in the autumn of 2003. Licence checklists received by the Traffic Area Office after the buyout showed incorrect information relating to its shareholding.
Documents received included some for Eddie Stobart Interna tional — a firm which had ceased to exist in October 2002.
William Tinkler,chairman,chief executive and majority shareholder of WA Developments, was appointed a director of Eddie Stobart Ltd on 4 February 2004; the same day that transport manager Edward Stobart resigned.
Before February 2004 the Stobart brothers gave the orders;Tinkler took over from them and Simms remarked that he was entitled to know who he was licensing.
In the ease of Eddie Stobart Ltd the reliance on a single transport manager meant that professional competence was lost if that individual resigned. There was no evidence that any attempt had been made to nominate an alternative transport manager.
Simms said the company needed £988,800 to satisfy the financial requirement for its Eastern Area licence, and more than £6,000,000 for all of its licences Having considered all the documents he could not be satisfied that the company continued to meet that requirement.
If the company wished to continue to operate it had to make a new licence application, which would require evidence of adequate finance. Professional competence for an authorisation of 290 vehicles required the nomination of four transport managers, none of whom could be William Stobart as he was already nominated on two of the firm's other licences.
The company plans to appeal.