Biker closes as sale hopes fade
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• Yorkshire-based haulier AW Biker ceased trading last Friday, making 15 drivers redundant, after its licence was revoked following a series of tachograph falsification offences.
Northern Eastern Licensing Authority Fred Whalley said he delayed the revocation until 25 July to assist the receiver in selling the firm, which originally hit the headlines for supposedly winning a 60-lorry-a-day rail-toroad contract from British Steel.
Receiver BDO Binder Hamlyn had hoped to announce a buyer this week, but the deal collapsed (CM 2-8 July). It is still hoping to sell the Leyburn premises — the 15 trucks have already been sold to a dealer, its contracts
have been transferred to other companies and the workforce has been laid off.
The receiver reckons its chance of selling the £1.5m-turnover business as a going concern was hampered by the adverse publicity Biker gained from a series of offences. Managing director Anthony Biker was jailed for nine months last May.
Biker had been convicted of falsifying tachograph charts and aiding and abetting their falsification by drivers. The company, which traded as Bikers of Bedale, was fined £27,000 and the 12 drivers involved were fined a total of £7,800 — 12 of them subsequently had their LGV driving licences suspended for one month.
Whalley revoked the 28-truck and 30trailer operating licence from 25 July on the grounds that Biker had lost his good repute, after being so heavily implicated in the company's gross malpractice. However, Whalley decided that the repute of transport manager Timothy Peacock was not lost.