Licence lost in one area only
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• The licence held by Matrix Global Managed Distribution (GMD) in the South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Area has been revoked but the company has kept the licence it holds in the NorthWest.
North Western Licensing Authority Martin Albu says he found GMD solicitor Ian Rothera's arguments to be "persuasive".
The licence for 35 vehicles and 20 trailers held at Heathrow by the company was revoked in October by the South Eastern & Metropolitan Licensing Authority Brigadier Michael Turner, and he disqualified its. managing director, John Weller, from holding or obtaining an Operator's Licence for one year following convictions for drivers' hours and tachograph offences.
In July the company and 13 of its drivers were fined £10,800 by Uxbridge magistrates, after the company had admitted failing to produce tachograph records and permitting drivers to exceed the hours' limits, take insufficient rest and failing to use tachographs in accordance with the regulations. The drivers had pleaded guilty to 114 offences of falsifying charts, driving excessive hours and taking insufficient rest (CM 27 July-2 August).
At the start of a Manchester disciplinary inquiry, at which he was also considering an application to increase the authorisation on the licence from seven vehicles and three trailers to 10 vehicles and three trailers, North Western Licensing Authority Martin Albu said the question was that having lost its good repute in one Traffic Area, could the company logically retain it in another? It was the same company.
Rothera argued Brigadier Turner made his decision in October, it was on the grounds at that time that the bad outweighed the good. It was now a month later and significant changes had taken place.
Weller had resigned as a director, said Rothera, athough he was still the principal shareholder. Mark Lewis had been appointed a director and given full authority to run the business. The that when
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offences all related to vehicles and drivers at Heathrow, and not at the company's other depots in Manchester, in Colnbrook, in the Western Area, and in Daventry, in the Eastern Area. The Manchester depot was run as an individual unit. It was a smaller and more tightly controlled activity which had not given the authorities any cause for concern. It would be most unfair if the Manchester licence was lost through what had happened at Heathrow.
Mark Lewis assured the LA that he had full control over the business and that Weller was not involved in the day-to-day run
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ning. He said there was a qualified transport manager at each of the depots.
Transport consultant Raymond Pidgley said the company had needed a complete change of culture. Drivers and traffic staff had been given intensive training and Lewis's approach to what had been a formidable problem had been very positive.