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Transport Tribunal quashes revocation
DUE TO some confusion over two Purfleet haulage operations run by a father and son with the same name, the Transport Tribunal has quashed the revocation of an 0-licence held by Michael Verrechia, trading as MV Exports. He held an 0-licence for three vehicles and four trailers.
The Tribunal directed that Richard Turfitt, the Eastern Traffic Commissioner, look again. In March, a vehicle was stopped at Harwich. The driver, Norman Palmer, said he was employed by MV Exports.
Palmer had failed to keep proper tachograph records, and the vehicle was not displaying either an 0-licence disc or an excise licence.
Tachograph charts showed that the vehicle had been in regular use for a number of weeks; the tachograph itself was uncalibrated
and there was no current vehicle test certificate.
In June, a vehicle and trailer were stopped at Wickford.
Palmer was again the driver, and, when asked, he said he was working for MV Exports.
In addition, he had failed to keep a tachograph record.
Mirroring the other truck, there was no 0-licence disc or excise licence displayed, but there was a trade plate in the windscreen. The trailer test certificate had expired at the end of May.
The TC revoked the licence after Verrechia failed to attend a public inquiry.
Solicitors for Verrechia then wrote saying he had been unable to attend. They had been asked to request an adjournment, but had failed to do so.
The Tribunal was told that father and son had the same initials that both their addresses on the Purfleet Industrial Estate were similar and that both sites had the same postcode.
Michael Verrechia Jnr said that when correspondence was received from the TC, his secretary sent it on to his father, who was trading as Freight Master Commercials.
Michael Verrechia Snr said that Palmer had been employed by him at the time. Palmer was a casual driver and had become confused since he collected vehicles foi export from his son and delivered them to the docks.