'Evasive' haulier wins licence
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,41 Despite describing Richard Owen Haley as evasive, both during a public inquiry and when questioned by police and enforcement officers, North Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Brian Homer granted him an
Operator's Licence. • Haley, trading as R Haley Haulage, of Lepton, Huddersfield, had applied for a new national licence for two vehicles and two trailers.
Traffic examiner Gerrard Doherty said that in July 1998 an artic driven by Haley was stopped in a check at Boston Spa.
Haley said that the vehicle was being operated by Survey Trading. No 0-licence disc was displayed and Haley subsequently failed to produce his driving documents. The company was eventually fined £750 for unauthorised use; Haley was fined £75 for failing to produce his documents.
Constable Neil Hirst of West Yorkshire Police said that in the same month he attended a broken down artic. Haley said that he was a director of the corn pany that owned the vehicle, Survey Trading. No 0-licence disc was displayed and there was no valid test certificate. Haley failed to produce driving documents. At Court Haley had said that the vehicle was being operated by his father's company, West Yorkshire Bulk Transport, and he produced documentation in that company's name. As a result the CPS dropped the prosecution.
For Haley, Paul Carless pointed out that he had resigned as a director of Survey Trading in March 1997.
PC Hirst told the inquiry that an artic tipper which was being driven by Haley was stopped in February. It was not displaying an excise licence or 0-licence disc. Haley had said that the vehicle was not laden but was being used on company business. He had added that the vehicle was being operated by Survey Trading and that he was working for his father,
Vehicle examiner Sidney Hepplethwaite said that over the last three years numerous prohibitions had been issued to the vehicles being operated, none of which had displayed 0-licence discs.
Carless maintained that those prohibitions were nothing to do with Haley and that they related to Survey Trading.
Haley said that he had never been a director of West Yorkshire Bulk. Though he had been a director of Survey Trading, he had never played an active role. He had only ever been a driver for that company.
He denied that he was a "front" for West Yorkshire Bulk, whose licence had been revoked, saying it was his intention to be just an owner-driver. He did not know if Survey Trading had ever had an 0licence. He had worked as a driver for West Yorkshire Bulk but he did not know who the directors were. His father had given
out the work as a traffic clerk for both companies.
Carless said that Haley had operated his one vehicle in possession in an exemplary manner since being granted interim authority in November.
Granting one vehicle and one trailer only, the Deputy TC said he found Haley to be evasive and not prepared to give a straight answer.
He could not believe that anyone would sign up as a director of a company and know nothing about it—there would be a performance review into all aspects of the operation at the beginning of July.