1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188 
Illegal Welsh operation costs English licence
Page 33
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
the director was "talked into" running 13 unauthorised vehicles.
k WEST Midlands firm that allowed its Kelsh associate to operate without an )-licence for up to 18 months has had its icence revoked. The firm, Richard Francis fransport of Hartlebury, and its sole director Zichard Francis have also been disqualified mm holding or obtaining an 0-licence for a )eriod of 12 months.
West Midlands' traffic Commissioner David Jixon was considering action against the icence for six vehicles and six trailers held w the West Midlands firm. together with an mplication for a new licence for 25 vehicles aid 25 trailers by its Welsh associate R Francis Fransport, based at Cardiff Docks, TheTC said a bid loran interim licence by the Wish company was refused in December. Its ransport manager Carlton Hobbs had written March to say he was no longer employed.The Wish firm went into liquidation in May.
Traffic examiner David Hughes said he eceived several reports that Richard Francis 7ransport was operating more vehicles than t was licensed for. Director Richard Francis old him the additional vehicles were being iperated by the Welsh company, which did tot hold an 0-licence, That company was ined£7,500 in May with 1296 costs for running chides not authorised on its licence.
Francis had said 13 vehicles and 18 trailers had ieen operated from the middle of 2005 in Wales fter an opportunity arose to take over a contract rom another opera tor,saving the drivers' jobs. An examination of tachograph charts revealed no major problems with the West Midlands company, but a substantial number of charts for the Welsh operation were missing. with 380(X)km unaccounted for. Hughes was told that Hobbs was responsible for the Welsh operation.
Parting company Francis said that dihough he was a director of the Welsh COM pany, Hobbs had been virtually running it. Francis decided to shut the company down after parting company with Hobbs in March.The Welsh vehicles ceased operating at the end of March.
Asked why the Welsh company operated without a licence, Francis said it was something he had been talked into doing when he shouldn't have been. He alleged that Hobbs, whom he used to drive for at another company. came up with the idea.
Operations continued after the interim licence was refused because they had vehicles and trailers on hire and Francis had not wanted to lay off drivers. He eventually decided that "enough was enough-. Francis agreed that a substantial sum was owed when the Welsh company went into liquidation.
Making the revocation and disqualification orders, and refusing the Welsh company's application,thc Tesaid Francis had deliberately chosen to operate without a licence for between 10 and 18 months..