Drivers that falsified their tacho charts at Liverpool container haulier JMD Contractors has led to the 15 vehicles they drove being suspended from the firm's O-licence for six months.
TC Beverley Bell heard that an inspection of tacho records over a three-month period in early 2007 revealed 21,828km were unaccounted for.
Traffic examiner Timothy Parker described it as "a culture of systematic falsification that appeared to have existed for some time".
Director and company founder John Deveney said that in the early part of 2007 he was not fulfilling his role as the nominated transport manager. The fact that the TC was not informed was due to negligence on his part. He was in retirement mode and was not concerned with the day-to-day management. He "dumped it on [co-directors] Paul Blundell and Alan MacGuire".