Transfreight Ser vices, which has acquired the busi ness of
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Bootlebased AJ Long Transport, has been granted a licence for 25 vehicles and 50 trailers on condition that AJ Long's managing director, Anthony Long, will not be employed by Transfreight.
AJ Long Transport's licence For 25 vehicles and 40 trailers was revoked by North Western Traffic Commissioner Keith Waterworth because he was not satisfied with its financial standing or its record of prohibitions and convictions (CM11-17 Feb).
Anthony Long is awaiting trial at Liverpool Crown Court on charges Of smuggling more than 25,000 litres of untaxed diesel into the UK from the Republic of Ireland.
Vehicle examiner David Collings told Deputy TC Mark Hinchliffe that the two compa nies had the same operating centre and, initially the same transport manager. In addition to this, 20 former Long vehicles were specified in Transfreight's application. Eleven Volvo tractors were specified on Long's licence but were leased from Thomas Hardie Commercials by Transfreight. An indication those vehicles were currently being used was that they were being submitted for periodic servicing as a condition of the lease.
Collings said he suspected that the directors of AJ Long Transport expected to lose their licence and that Transfreight was formed to continue the operation.
For Transfreight, James Backhouse conceded that it had been formed to take over Long's business, but he maintained that the control was in completely different hands. He pointed out there had been a substantial investment in new vehicles.
Director Kevin Malone said it was hard to set up in the Liverpool area because of the competition. Long was well established in the area and he had been acting as an advisor in an unpaid capacity.
He gave an undertaking that the company's tachograph records would be analysed each month by an independent tachograph analyser.
Granting the licence with a warning, Hinchliffe said there had been some concerns as the waters had been a bit muddied.