STORY
A West Midlands haulage operator has had his licence revoked after a public inquiry found persistent failures in vehicle maintenance, record keeping and compliance with basic legal duties. Traffic Commissioner Miles Dorrington ruled that Mr Sukhvinder Singh was unfit to hold an operator’s licence, with the revocation taking effect at 23:45 on Sunday 5 April.
The inquiry heard that Singh spent an extended period in India from around mid December 2024 to late March 2025 without informing the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, leaving a driver to run the transport operation in his absence. ANPR data showed his vehicle was recorded 257 times during that period, while the commissioner said the lack of oversight amounted to a serious breach of his responsibilities.
Investigators also found major maintenance failings involving Singh’s only vehicle, a 38 year old Mercedes. The lorry went 208 days between two preventative maintenance inspections, far beyond the required schedule, and no meaningful laden brake tests were carried out. Its MOT history showed six consecutive failures, including one abandoned test, in what the commissioner described as an appalling record.