RHA objection disregarded
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DESPITE opposition from the Road Haulage Association, Thomas Edward Jones, former managing director of the Oswestry-based T. E. Jones Group which crashed in 1982 with debts said to be around £2.4m, has been granted an operator's licence in his own name.
Mr Jones applied for a licence for 10 vehicles and 15 trailers. The RHA opposed on financial grounds. He has been operating under the authority of an interim licence since last August, trading as T. E. Jones Plant Hire from the group's former base.
The application first came before the West Midland Licensing Authority Ronald Jackson last July. Evidence was given by Male and Son (Pensnett) Ltd that it was owed over £21,000 for work it had done for the group.
It was argued that Mr Jones should not be given the opportunity of riding on the industry's back again and should not be granted a licence unless there was clear evidence that what had happened to the Group was unlikely to be repeated.
Mr Jones blamed the failure of the group on its bankers demanding a 33 per cent cut in his overdraft within four days. Mr Jackson adjourned the proceedings after hearing evidence in private.
When the hearing resumed in March evidence was given that Mr Jones had been convicted of operating vehicles without a licence on three occasions and of overloading offences.
He said that he had concentrated on the plant hire side, leaving the transport side to his transport manager, who had been instructed only to use the vehicles on site work.
He agreed that there was a number of convictions recorded against former companies within the group, namely T. E. Jones Plant Hire, Salop Waste Disposal and Vaggs Coaches.
Announcing his decision last week Mr Jackson said that the number and nature of the convictions recorded against Mr Jones presently, and against companies of which he had been a director, were such as to cast serious doubts on his repute as a goods vehicle operator.
However, in view of Mr Jones' explanations he had decided that it was possible to grant him a licence and, accordingly, the application was granted as sought.