News

A man who blamed his estranged wife for destroying letters from the Traffic Area Office has lost an appeal against the revocation of his licence by South Eastern & Metropolitan Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown. Harrow-based Lee Reeder, trading as CL Haulage, was granted a licence for one vehicle and one trailer in May 2006 with an undertaking that three months' bank statements be submitted to the Traffic Area Office in January 2007. On 1 February Reeder telephoned the Traffic Area to say  he had no vehicle and was on benefit, but wanted to retain his licence.

He was told to write to the TC explaining the situation. In April the Traffic Area wrote saying Reeder needed to produce evidence to show he was of appropriate financial standing. The licence was revoked when there was no reply. Asking the Transport Tribunal to reconsider that decision, Reeder wrote saying he had experienced personal difficulties due to the break-up of his marriage. He was eager to retain his licence in order to return to work and had financial back-up through the equity in his house.

Reeder told the Tribunal his wife had intercepted and destroyed incoming mail. He accepted he had received the January and May letters, but maintained he had not received those sent in February and April. It was pointed out that the May letter specifically referred to the April letter Reeder claimed not to have received, and he was unable to explain why there was no reference to the non-receipt of that  letter in his letter to the Tribunal in June. Dismissing the appeal, the Tribunal said they did not find the explanation of the non-receipt of the two letters credible. Reeder had said the loss of letters he had expected to receive had only occurred in the last four to six weeks, well after the letters from the Traffic Area Office were sent.

NO CREDIBLE EXPLANATION

Without a credible explanation for the non-receipt of letters the Tribunal considered the TC was bound to revoke the licence as there was no evidence of financial standing.