A Penrith-based haulage company has received a 'strong formal warning' after breaching several transport regulations which included failure to report a fatal accident involving their vehicle.
Deputy Traffic Commissioner Gerallt Evans addressed the issues relating to Dent Logistics Ltd during a public inquiry this year.
The inquiry revealed on August 23, 2021, a Dent Logistics vehicle was involved in a fatal road traffic collision. The driver was convicted in April 2023, whilst no longer with the company, of causing death by driving without due care and attention.
"There was no evidence to suggest the operator was culpable in relation to the incident, but it failed to notify my office of the conviction," Mr Evans noted.
Additionally, the inquiry discovered another serious compliance breach with one of the operators' drivers.
On February 16, 2022, a ‘DVSA encounter’ found Arran Barbieri driving without a valid CPC qualification, which had expired in February 2020. The driver was allowed to continue driving without a CPC qualification after a transport manager became aware of the issue in March 2022 until he regained the qualification in May 2022.
"It was clear from the evidence given during the public inquiry that there was considerable confusion as to which transport manager was accountable for the checks and what process was to be followed," Mr Evans said.
Furthermore, seven separate drivers’ hours offences were flagged between November 2021 and the date of the encounter.
Both Mr Barbieri and the operator were prosecuted and the operator was fined £6,666, with an additional £618 in costs.
The Deputy Traffic Commissioner said: "The conviction was not notified to my office by the operator."
Despite the regulatory failures, the Commissioner showed some leniency due to the issues being "narrow, isolated, and aged in nature", along with a history of compliance from the company.
In conclusion, he said: "This does appear to be a classic case of an operator that appears to be operating compliantly without incident for many years and has become complacent."
Even though he cautioned that any future evidence of concerns might put the company at risk of further action, he also suggested they engage external assistance, such as hiring an experienced transport manager or consulting with a transport specialist, to ensure their compliance systems are improved.
Dent Logistics Ltd was approached for comment.
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