[2024] UKUT 225 (AAC)

The Appellant was granted a Standard National Operator’s Licence (the “licence”) on 22 February 1991 which originally authorised four vehicles. The nominated operating centre for the licence was Four Acres, Rannoch Road, Johnstone and the Appellant was the nominated transport manager.

In 2006, the Appellant successfully applied to increase the authorisation on his license to six vehicles. On 10 May 2018, the Appellant attended a Public Inquiry (“PI”) which was called due to maintenance shortcomings. Following the PI, his licence was curtailed from six vehicles to one vehicle for a period of four weeks. It was decided that the licence could be returned to a maximum authority of two vehicles if further evidence was submitted relating to financial standing, maintenance and booking a transport manager refresher training course. The evidence was not received therefore a three month period of grace was permitted to allow the evidence to be provided, but with a warning that if it wasn’t provided, the Appellant’s licence could be revoked. The Appellant provided all the required information by letter dated 21 January 2019. As a result, the Traffic Commissioner (“TC”) permitted his licence to extend to an authority of two vehicles and the matter was closed.

An Operator Performance Report showed that there had been no vehicle encounters with the Appellant’s vehicles since the PI in 2018. At the date of the Public Inquiry (“PI”) in this matter, the Appellant’s licence authorised the use of two vehicles.