Traffic Commissioner for the West of England, Kevin Rooney, has disqualified a transport manager indefinitely after concluding that he appeared to “care nothing of the condition of his fleet”.

Graham Pearce, who chose not to attend a public inquiry in Bristol earlier this month, lost his good repute following evidence submitted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

Rooney said: “I accept the evidence of the vehicle examiner in full. It paints a shocking picture of non-compliance and a transport manager who appears to care nothing of the condition of his fleet.

“It is unfortunate that has chosen not to attend today. The shortcomings and his reported attitude at the maintenance investigation indicate strongly to me that he is not of good repute.”

A DVSA vehicle examiner reported a number of shortcomings in relation to the operator’s licence on which Pearce is also named as a partner, including that brake performance was only recorded as “road test OK”, “OK” or ticked – which is too basic an assessment to ensure roadworthiness – and driver defect reporting was virtually non-existent.

The DVSA officer also said that when questioned about the issue of an S marked prohibition for a red EBS warning lamp being illuminated, Pearce shrugged his shoulders.

“An S marked PG9I is a prohibition for a defect that renders the vehicle immediately dangerous and which indicates a significant failure in the operator’s maintenance systems,” warned Rooney.

On the day before the hearing, the operator emailed the Traffic Commissioner’s office to indicate that the business would cease trading as of midnight on the day of the inquiry.

Rooney revoked the partnership’s licence (Graham Pearce and Reginald Watkins trading as P & W Transport) on the grounds of professional competence and financial standing.
 

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