STORY
A Hampshire-based goods vehicle operator has had its licence revoked after repeatedly failing to engage with the Traffic Commissioner and the Office of the Traffic Commissioner. Hampshire Group Southern Ltd, which held a restricted operator’s licence authorising two vehicles, will lose its licence from 11.45pm on 2 August 2026.
Traffic Commissioner Miles Dorrington made the decision following a public inquiry in Bristol on 3 June 2026. He also proposed disqualifying the company and its sole director, Vicky Steere, from holding or obtaining any operator’s licence for two years, unless a hearing is requested by 13 July 2026.
The company, which was previously known as JCT Group Holdings Ltd, had been granted its licence in July 2025. The licence was subject to an undertaking that a director would complete an approved operator licence management course and provide evidence of attendance, but the Commissioner found that the undertaking had been breached and that no satisfactory explanation had been provided.
The inquiry heard that the operator had failed to respond properly to regulatory correspondence. The Office of the Traffic Commissioner had sent reminders, warning letters and a formal request for explanation, but key questions remained unanswered.
Further concerns were raised after the company failed to comply with case management directions ahead of the public inquiry. Required maintenance and drivers’ hours records were not submitted in advance, and much of the requested evidence was still missing on the day of the hearing.
Dorrington said the case was unusual because it centred on the operator’s failure to co-operate with the Office of the Traffic Commissioner and the Traffic Commissioner, rather than on evidence from a Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency investigation. He said he had “absolutely no confidence or trust” that the operator would comply with the licensing regime in future.
