Greeth Ltd, which held a licence for four HGVs, was found to have exceeded its authorised fleet size, repeatedly used vehicles that were not properly specified on its licence, operated from an unauthorised site for around a year and failed to maintain effective drivers’ hours and tachograph systems.
The revocation was due to take effect on 9 September, but the government’s publication of the decision is now marked “Stay granted”, meaning the regulatory action is currently stayed while the case is challenged.
Five vehicles used despite four-vehicle limit
Greeth Ltd obtained its operator’s licence in 2021 and applied in May 2025 to increase its authorisation from four vehicles and four trailers to six of each. However, a DVSA traffic examiner subsequently encountered one of the company’s vehicles being operated without being specified on the licence. The company’s sole director, Konstantinos Theologidis, acknowledged that the vehicle had not been added because there was no available margin on the existing four-vehicle licence.
ANPR evidence later showed that five vehicles were being used concurrently on a regular basis between 23 June and 2 July 2025. The Traffic Commissioner also found 26 occasions up to May 2026 when vehicles were operated more than 28 days after coming into the company’s possession without being specified on the licence.
Traffic Commissioner David Mullan concluded that Greeth had both exceeded its authorised fleet size and repeatedly failed to comply with requirements governing vehicles specified on the licence.
Fleet moved to unauthorised Widnes site
The inquiry also established that the company had stopped operating from its authorised centre at Knowsley Industrial Park in Liverpool and had instead moved vehicles to a site in Widnes. Greeth admitted that the relocation took place in June 2025 after the Liverpool site became unavailable.
However, the Widnes location was not authorised as an operating centre at the time. Six vehicles were being kept there, while the company continued to declare the Liverpool address for licensing and insurance purposes. The Commissioner found that Greeth knowingly operated from the unauthorised Widnes site for approximately 12 months, between June 2025 and June 2026.
Amazon handled planning and parts of compliance
A DVSA examination raised wider concerns over how the business controlled its drivers and compliance systems. Much of the company’s driver training was delivered through Amazon systems, while load-security training was also largely delegated to Amazon. Journey planning was undertaken by Amazon, working-time monitoring was managed through Amazon systems and Tachomaster generated drivers’ hours infringement reports.
The operator told the inquiry that Amazon’s planning systems were designed to ensure compliance with drivers’ hours rules. However, DVSA concluded that although systems existed, many were basic or were being carried out by Amazon rather than actively managed by Greeth itself.
The Commissioner stressed that using third-party systems did not remove the operator’s own responsibility for compliance, finding that significant aspects of training, planning and compliance monitoring remained dependent on outside parties without sufficient oversight.
Six hours’ driving without qualifying break
The inquiry also considered a serious drivers’ hours infringement from February 2026. One driver had driven for 5 hours and 59 minutes without taking a qualifying break. However, the infringement report was not produced until more than a month later, while a documented discussion with the driver did not take place until May.
The Commissioner found that this showed there was no effective process for identifying and addressing drivers’ hours infringements promptly. DVSA also remained dissatisfied with the company’s procedures for investigating infringements, applying disciplinary measures and monitoring missing mileage.
Commissioner: responsibility repeatedly left to others
Mullan concluded that Greeth lacked adequate systems for drivers’ hours, tachograph and working-time compliance and exercised insufficient control over significant parts of its transport operation. He said a recurring theme throughout the evidence was that responsibility for compliance appeared to rest with others, including Amazon, the drivers themselves and the transport manager.
The Commissioner found that both Greeth Ltd and its sole director had lost their good repute and placed the case in the “Severe or Serious” category of regulatory action. Although some improvements had been made and the company had engaged with the proceedings, the Commissioner said these factors were outweighed by the number and persistence of the failures.
He ultimately concluded that action short of revocation would be insufficient and ordered the operator’s licence revoked. The company’s application to increase its vehicle authorisation was also refused. The former transport manager, Andrej Malychin, retained his good repute but received a warning over his future conduct after the Commissioner found that he had failed to maintain sufficient oversight of the operation.
