The Commissioner found that Mr Leho had lost his good repute as a Transport Manager and issued a minimum 12-month disqualification from exercising any functions associated with his Certificate of Professional Competence. Any future return to the industry will require him to demonstrate full compliance capability.
In addition, the operator’s licence was curtailed by two vehicles, with a statutory direction preventing either vehicle from being operated under any other licence during that time.
HGV Quick Transport Ltd holds a Standard International Goods Vehicle Operator’s Licence authorising eight vehicles and eight trailers. Evidence presented to the inquiry confirmed that the business predominantly undertook work for Amazon, in addition to previous tramping operations for The Range, operating from its authorised centre in Tiptree, Colchester.
The investigation, initiated after a DVSA roadside encounter in May 2025, identified multiple operational breaches, including drivers’ hours offences and missed tachograph downloads, including one card not downloaded for 115 days, short notice driving without a card and a weekly rest offence, resulting in fixed penalty notices and a further roadside prohibition in January 2026.
DVSA evidence also revealed deterioration in fundamental safety processes, including missed maintenance intervals, weak brake testing regimes, inadequate defect reporting and missing or incomplete trailer records.
Although the operator later engaged a compliance consultant and adopted new systems, the Commissioner noted that these improvements largely came after regulatory intervention rather than as part of ongoing management.
Commissioner Turfitt concluded that had Mr Leho failed to maintain effective control over the transport operation, the core statutory requirement of a Transport Manager. In particular, the inquiry highlighted the weak oversight of employed and subcontracted drivers and general ignorance regarding responsibility for Amazon trailers being operated under this licence.
The Commissioner reaffirmed a long-standing regulatory principle: operators cannot outsource or abdicate their compliance responsibilities. Where vehicles or trailers run under an operator’s licence, the licence holder remains fully accountable.
For full details of the decision, visit the Traffic Commissioner Regulatory Decisions page
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