The disqualification comes after repeated offences, including driving without the required CPC qualification and no management of drivers’ hours
Cheshire-based school bus operator David Manley, trading as Acorn Buses, was disqualified from holding or obtaining a PSV O-Licence for two years after his restricted licence was revoked by Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) Simon Evans, who concluded there had been a ‘blatant disregard’ for safety standards.
Mr Manley, of Knutsford, had been called before the DTC at a Golborne Public Inquiry but failed to attend.
Traffic Examiner Tim Aspell said that Mr Manley was reported by Cheshire West Council for driving a 16-seat minibus without the required driver CPC qualification. His vehicle was encountered during a routine check at Lymm High School last year.
He initially said that he did not have his driver CPC qualification card on him when he was stopped at Lymm High School. However, when he subsequently interviewed Mr Manley he claimed that he was not aware of the requirement to hold the driver CPC qualification.
During a subsequent investigation he identified a number of shortcomings. There was no management or co-ordination of drivers’ hours. There had been no downloading at any stage of driver cards or the vehicle digital tachograph unit. No working time records were collected or monitored, and there was no evidence of any training of drivers or attempts by Mr Manley to keep up to date with compliance requirements.
Making the revocation and disqualification orders, the DTC concluded that it was more likely than not that Mr Manley knew of the expectations of drivers to hold a driver CPC qualification.
He said that he was satisfied that an operator who took such scant account of the drivers’ hours requirements would have been likely to have placed the public at risk and might well have obtained a competitive advantage. There had been a blatant disregard of the requirements of the licence, such that revocation and disqualification was an entirely appropriate outcome.
