A Kirkcaldy haulage firm has been stripped of its right to operate HGVs after an inquiry found it had been running with a disqualified director.
Randolph Transport Ltd could struggle to do business following the decision by Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken last week.
It was found that the company’s director, Catherine Tottenham, had failed to declare the appointment of her father, William Tottenham, as fellow director in 2012.
Mr Tottenham claimed he had become a director of the firm solely for tax reasons and had previously been involved with Bellshill Fish Distribution Ltd but that company’s licence had been revoked because of drivers’ hours offences.
He denied trying to conceal his appointment.
After closing the initial hearing in September 2013 the Traffic Commissioner learned Mr Tottenham had been disqualified indefinitely in 2000 from holding an operator’s licence.
At a second hearing, which concluded in February of this year, the Traffic Commissioner made the determination that Randolph Transport Ltd is “no longer of good repute” and revoked the licence held by the company, and disqualified the company from holding a licence in any part of Great Britain indefinitely.
Catherine Tottenham is also personally disqualified from holding or obtaining an operator’s licence, and is disqualified for two years from being a transport manager.
At the second inquiry, Campbell Kelly, the firm’s accountant, said he was not aware of the disqualification of Mr Tottenham, and that Mr Tottenham had not been running the company prior to his appointment.
Mr Tottenham claimed he believed the length of his disqualification to be five or 10 years, when in fact it was indefinite.
Randolph Transport Ltd had failed to respond to a request for information about its nominated transport manager and later learned it had operated without one, violating a mandatory requirement, between 2007 and early last year.
Mr Tottenham’s resignation left his daughter Catherine in sole control of the company, but she was ruled to not be in control of the situation, and that she had wittingly or unwittingly been part of the arrangement whereby a disqualified person came to operate a haulage company.