Brothers let another firm use their licences By Roger Brown
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TWO WEST Sussex-based brothers have been banned from the haulage industry for lending their 0-licences to another company.
In a written decision following a May public inquiry in Eastbourne, the traffic commissioner (TC) for the South East, Nick Denton, disqualified David and Alfred Buckman from Littlehampton until June 2014 and revoked their licences.
At the PI the TC was told that David Buckman, trading as DJ Buckman Transport, lent his licence for three vehicles and two trailers to Focused Events, a firm specialising in off-road motorcycle trips in Spain. According to tachograph charts,
the trucks, which transported motorbikes to the Continent, rarely visited David Buckman's operating centre and were normally parked at the Focused Events facility in Thakeham, West Sussex.
Drivers were paid and directed by that company and their licences were checked by managers there. David Buckman had no control over drivers or scheduling, and did not know the full name of a driver given a fixed penalty for not using his tachograph.
A Vosa investigation found incomplete tachograph records that contained many errors.
The driver defect reporting system was described by the TC as clearly dysfunctional. TC Denton said Alfred Buck
man's involvement with the operation of vehicles on his AC Buckman Transport licence was even more remote than his brother's.
Alfred Buckman had lent his licence for two vehicles and two trailers to Focused Events, and failed to spot problems with the way the drivers completed tachograph charts and driver defect reports.
The TC added: "The vehicles on their [the brothers'] licences are owned and operated to all intents and purposes by Focused Events."
He disqualified the pair indefinitely from acting as transport managers.