Q I have been ca ll ed to a public inquiry by a
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Licensing Authority under Section 69 of the Transport Act 1968 because of a number of prohibition notices issued against my vehicles. When I obtained my licence, I had made arrangements with a local garage to maintain the vehicles and this seemed to satWy the LA at the time. The garage has failed to keep my vehicles in good order and I am now in trouble.
Will the fact that the garage has let me down weigh in my favour at the public inquiry and if I now take steps to change the garage will this help or will it appear as 1 I have locked the stable door after the horse has bolted?
A When you first obtained your 0 licence, you undertook to ensure that your vehicles would be maintained in a safe and roadworthy condition. Although the garage which you employed has failed
to do this, the onus was on you as the holder of the licence to ensure that they did not fail to keep your vehicles properly maintained. The LA will almost certainly take that view and will want to know why you did not fulfil the undertaking you gave when you signed your 0-licence application.
Before the public inquiry, you should certainly have made some effort to remedy this state of affairs. It is imperative that you demonstrate to the LA that you have understood the gravity of your past mistakes and that you have made arrangements to ensure that they do not occur again. Failure to do so will place your licence even more in jeopardy.