Trucker pulled fuse to silence warning buzzer.  It cost the haulier two trucks

Ktaurus Ltd has now been ordered to take two lorries off the road for two weeks, while its transport manager’s professional repute has been left “severely tarnished”.

The incident happened in November 2025 when one of the Peterborough-based haulier’s drivers noticed a coolant warning while returning to the yard. According to evidence given at a public inquiry, the driver stopped and telephoned transport manager Andris Asermanis.

The fault did not disappear after the engine was allowed to cool. The driver then removed a fuse, apparently in an attempt to silence the constant buzzing.

But the same fuse also served several safety warnings on the dashboard.

When DVSA examined the vehicle, it found that the braking-system warning gauge could not be seen and that the electronic braking system warning lamp was not working. The main-beam and rear fog-lamp warning lights were also inoperative.

The lorry received an immediate S-marked prohibition — indicating a serious defect linked to a significant failure in the operator’s maintenance arrangements — as well as a delayed prohibition for the other lighting faults.

Driver Lukas Noreika was issued with two fixed penalties for dangerous use of the vehicle and for the missing braking-system warning device.

Driver continued for around an hour

The operator denied instructing the driver to continue without the fuse.

Asermanis told the inquiry that he had forwarded a photograph of the fuse arrangement to the maintenance contractor to establish which fuse needed changing. However, he was unable to produce the relevant message at the hearing.

Traffic Commissioner Richard Turfitt accepted that the transport manager had not expressly told the driver to operate the lorry with the fuse removed. Nevertheless, the decision left an important question unanswered: why the driver continued driving for approximately an hour after disabling part of the dashboard display.

The Commissioner concluded that the driver had been acting under instructions but that a “clear misunderstanding” had resulted in the unsafe operation of the vehicle.

The episode also exposed a longer-running problem. Maintenance records indicated that the coolant fault may have existed since at least September 2025, with levels apparently being topped up during inspections rather than the underlying leak being properly investigated and repaired.

DVSA finds wider maintenance weaknesses

The roadside encounter prompted DVSA to examine the company’s maintenance systems more closely.

Investigators found incomplete inspection records, inconsistent evidence of proper walkaround checks and occasions when defects had not been adequately assessed or repaired.

One inspection had been completed without a brake test, while another recorded a 37% braking imbalance that was not followed up with supporting evidence showing that the problem had been investigated.

DVSA also found two serious tyre defects during an inspection of another Ktaurus vehicle. A driver defect report completed the previous day had recorded no faults, raising further concerns about the quality of drivers’ daily checks.

The findings were particularly damaging because Ktaurus had already appeared before the Traffic Commissioner in 2022 over maintenance, brake testing, defect reporting and drivers’ hours compliance. Its licence was suspended for five days on that occasion, and the company gave specific undertakings intended to improve its systems.

Turfitt said it was disappointing to see the operator return to public inquiry over related issues.

Two trucks taken off the road

Ktaurus holds a standard international operator’s licence authorising eight vehicles and eight trailers. Its work primarily involves moving shipping containers on third-party trailers around the UK.

The Commissioner acknowledged that the company had introduced new maintenance contracts, policies, driver training and external compliance oversight following the latest investigation.

However, he found that deterrent action was still necessary.

The operator’s licence was curtailed by two vehicles for two weeks, with two specified lorries barred from operation during that period. The company must also commission an independent audit of its transport safety and compliance systems within six months.

Asermanis was allowed to remain as transport manager, but his professional repute was described as severely tarnished.

The driver did not attend the hearing. He was given seven days to explain why his vocational driving entitlement should not be suspended.

The ruling was published by the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain on 9 July 2026.