The licence held by Darlington-based parcels carrier M-Line has been
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revoked by North Eastern Traffic Commissioner Toni Macartney for what he described as a serious breach of the tachograph regulations resulting in a serious risk to public safety.
The TC is considering disqualifying the company's directors from holding an 0-licence for a considerable period, The company, which held a licence for 30 vehicles and five trailers, with 13 vehicles and two trailers in possession, appeared before the TC at a Durham disciplinary inquiry after it had been fined 18,700 for more than 80 tachograph and drivers' hours offences.
PC Worsey, of Durham Police, said that the drivers of all 13 vehicles had been committing hours and tachograph offences over a considerable period. Because they handled mufti-drop parcels deliveries they would have been more tired than drivers engaged on other work.
Worsey added that when he opened the cab door of one of the vehicles a large number of tachograph charts fell out. He also found more than 20 charts on the floor of the cab mixed in with crisp packets.
For the company, Cary Hodgson said the transport manager at the time had been dismissed and the company now had a contract with the Freight Transport Association for its tachograph charts to be checked.
Revoking the licence, the TC said he was not satisfied that the company met the requirement to be of good repute or had the appropriate financial standing.
He added that it had operated with poor administration and a lack of regard for the basic procedures necessary for any transport company, to an extent that there was a road safety hazard.
The TC also revoked two drivers' HGV licences and suspended two other drivers' licences; one for a month, the other for seven days.