Scotland’s traffic commissioner has revoked the licence of a Forfar plant hire operator over professional competence and financial standing concerns.
George Hill, who is listed as sole director of Strathplant Hire in Carseview Road, has been given until the end of the month to bring vehicles back to his base and make arrangements for their disposal following the outcome of a public inquiry called by traffic commissioner Joan Aitken.
The inquiry was held in his absence after both he and his transport manager failed to attend the Edinburgh hearing.
Mr Hill was granted a standard national operator licence in April 2009.
In February 2010, he was called to a public inquiry on roadworthiness and financial standing matters, when the licence was reduced voluntarily from 10 vehicles to six.
In the latest findings, the traffic commissioner reported that in December Mr Hill’s nominated transport manager, Maureen Towns, advised the commissioner she was no longer employed by Mr Hill.
He subsequently nominated Campbell John McNab as his new transport manager.
His ability to fulfil the transport manager role was scrutinised and the nomination was refused. Mr Hill was asked to provide an alternative name or request a public inquiry.
No response was received so the traffic commissioner decided the matter of professional competence and financial standing of the operator should be considered at a public inquiry.
Ms Aitken said that Mr Hill had failed to respond to her office in recent months, notably from June 6, and she needed to be persuaded that the proposed arrangement for Mr McNab to be transport manager, as he had other commitments, could work.
The Edinburgh hearing went ahead after both Mr Hill and his employee failed to appear.
The traffic commissioner said efforts made to contact Mr Hill on the day were unsuccessful but she was satisfied that a recorded delivery letter sent in mid-July concerning the hearing had been signed for.
Among issues raised by the commissioner at the hearing was the VOSA encounter history for the licence, which showed that roadworthiness prohibitions had been issued to the operator’s vehicles on October 19 and 20, 2010, as well as May 5 and June 13.
Some of the prohibition items were immediate and some delayed. Traffic examiner drivers’ hours prohibitions had also been issued on October 19.Test failuresThe case presented by the commissioner also included a test history revealing nine annual tests at which there were two passes, two passes after rectification at station and five failures.
“The evidence from VOSA’s database as to the vehicle encounter history and the annual test history raise questions as to the licence undertakings in relation to roadworthiness.
“This is an operator with a history of calls to public inquiry and of regulatory action requiring to be taken,” stated the findings.
Ms Aitken also said the operator had not replied to her call for evidence of financial standing, and she now had doubts about that. She also expressed doubts over the genuineness in the arrangement proposed between Mr Hill and his proposed transport manager.
“The operator’s failure to attend at the public inquiry leaves me with no information as to the operator’s current circumstances, the last contact being the specification of a vehicle on June 8.
“In the absence of the operator I have no alternative but to revoke this licence. I consider that it is proportionate to do so. It is incumbent on an operator to maintain contact with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.
“There must be professional competence on a licence. The licence has to have financial standing and I have no evidence of this. ”
She added: “The failure to nominate an alternative transport manager and to be in contact with my office cause me to doubt whether this operator had financial standing and hence that was included in the call to public inquiry.”
Mr Hill and Strathplant Hire could not be contacted by The Courier on Wednesday.