What DVSA found put this UK haulier in deep trouble

A UK Traffic Commissioner has disqualified a transport manager for at least 12 months after finding serious failings at haulage firm HGV Quick Transport Ltd. The company also had its operator’s licence cut by two vehicles for four weeks.

The case is important because it sends a clear message to hauliers: you cannot hand compliance over to somebody else and hope for the best.

According to the published decision, the company ran into trouble over a mix of problems, including drivers’ hours offences, missed tachograph downloads, poor maintenance control, missing records, weak driver oversight and problems with trailer checks. The Traffic Commissioner concluded that transport manager Sergiu Florin Leho had failed to properly control the operation.

The case began after a DVSA roadside check in May 2025. Investigators found that one driver card had not been downloaded for 115 days. They also found short periods of driving without a card and a weekly rest offence, which led to a £300 fixed penalty. Another roadside incident followed in January 2026, when a vehicle received an immediate prohibition and another £300 fixed penalty.

But the problems did not stop with drivers’ hours. DVSA also found failings in the company’s maintenance systems. These included missed inspection intervals, weak brake testing, poor defect reporting and missing trailer records. The operator later brought in a consultant and introduced new systems, but the Traffic Commissioner said that much of this only happened after DVSA had already stepped in.

One of the most important points in the case concerns outsourced drivers. The decision shows that some drivers were treated as self-employed or were brought in through outside arrangements. The regulator’s message was clear: if they are driving under your operator’s licence, you are still responsible for making sure the rules are followed.

The same applied to trailers. In this case, the operator appeared to think that because some trailers belonged to Amazon, full trailer oversight was not really its responsibility. The Traffic Commissioner rejected that view. For hauliers, the lesson is simple: using someone else’s trailer does not remove your duty to check that it is roadworthy and properly documented.

The operator was also found to have fallen short on financial standing, although it was given time to put that right and to appoint a replacement transport manager.

In the end, the company avoided losing its licence altogether, but the penalties were still serious. The transport manager lost his repute and was disqualified, and the business was left under pressure to fix its systems quickly.