Reckless operator revoked
Following a recent public inquiry, Eddaball Scaffolding Ltd has had its Restricted Goods Vehicle Operator’s Licence revoked by the Traffic Commissioner for Wales, Victoria Davies.
The company, which operated in commercial and domestic scaffolding in South Wales, was called to inquiry after a roadside inspection conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) on 3 April 2024, where a company vehicle was found laden with scaffolding equipment and without displaying the required operator’s licence disc. The DVSA issued an “S” marked prohibition notice for the insecure load being carried. Additionally, it was discovered that the driver, Daniel Wallis, did not hold the appropriate licence to drive the vehicle.
Both Eddaball Scaffolding Ltd and its driver were prosecuted for the offences of driving a vehicle on a road otherwise in accordance with a licence and of permitting the driver to do so, both pleading guilty at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on 23 October 2024. The company and driver were fined and ordered to pay costs, while the driver also received penalty points on his licence. Subsequent investigations by a DVSA Traffic Examiner revealed serious compliance failures, including inadequate driver licence checks, insufficient training, and a lack of monitoring systems for drivers’ working hours.
During the public inquiry held on 6 February 2025, Adrian Thomas, the sole director, admitted to these regulatory shortcomings. Despite implementing some remedial actions, including engaging external consultancy support and Adrian Thomas attending an operator licence awareness training course, the company was found to have persistently failed in key compliance areas. An update statement from the DVSA prepared for the inquiry also highlighted that, since the DVSA’s investigation in April of last year, the company had allowed an unlicensed driver to operate an 18,000kg vehicle for several months without meeting essential legal requirements, presenting a significant road safety risk.
Commissioner Davies said “The operator is unfit to hold a licence. Despite the Traffic Examiner explaining what steps the operator should take to ensure that its drivers held the correct licence entitlement, which would have prevented the offences being committed last April, the operator failed to heed that clear and straightforward advice…the operator has, once again, failed to do so resulting in its driver driving on a road whilst not licensed to do so and for a lengthy period of around four months. There is no mitigation or excuse for that failure to carry out basic online driver licence checks. Furthermore, that vehicle was operated without any adherence to drivers’ hours, working time and tachograph legislation. Those rules assist in keeping the public safe.”
Despite some late steps taken to improve compliance, the Traffic Commissioner concluded that the company’s past actions raised serious concerns about its ability to operate safely and lawfully in the future. While the company and its director were not disqualified from holding an operator’s licence in the future, the Commissioner emphasised that a significantly improved approach to regulatory compliance would be required.
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