Operator broke VED undertaking
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The use Of untaxed vehicles has led to Littlers, based in BaCkford, near Chester, having its 11-vehicle Operator's Licence Suspended for a fortnight by North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell.
On the first day of the hearing, which took place in August, the TC was told that at a public inquiry on 25 January, when the licence was curtailed from 23 to 11 vehicles, managing director Ronald Littler had given an assurance that all the company's vehicles were property taxed at that time and that all the back duty had been paid in full. However, that was not the case. It was also alleged that false declarations had been made in order to obtain vehicle excise licences (01131 Aug-6 Sept), When the hearing resumed, Peter Moss, for the company, said further false declarations relating to three vehicles and the use of a further untaxed vehicle on the road had come to light since the last public inquiry Evidence was given in private because the company and its managing director Ronald Littler are awaiting trial at Chester Crown Court accused of making
false declarations to obtain vehicle excise licences.
Moss said that the Inaccurate statements made to the Deputy TC in January were caused by an oversight rather than a deliberate attempt to mislead.
"My client pushed back the boundaries of ineptitude to almost inconceivable limits due to the pressure he was under, both emotional and financial," said Moss. He added that Littler had got into this situation by relying upon people more than he perhaps ought to have done.
Asked about the effect of any licence suspension or curtailment, Littler said that business was booming. The company was on such a road of recovery now that it really needed every truck it had to sustain that recovery. "We would really like to get out of the mess we are in," said Littler.
Moss pointed out that the company was facing substantial financial penalties for the use of untaxed vehicles.
The TC said it was not disputed that untaxed vehicles had been used in breach of SORN declarations and that one vehicle had been used after it had been declared scrapped. She believed Littler had been negligent in not checking his facts before making the assertions he did to the Deputy TC rather than it being a deliberate attempt to mislead. Bell felt it was clear that the company had had insufficient control over its employees but she took account of substantial mitigating factors which had been put to her in private session.