As of 1st July 2019, West Midland removal company, A J Removals & Storage Ltd and company director, Azam Amin, will face disqualification for 3 years and alongside that, a loss of their standard national vehicle operator’s licence.
Unable to obtain or hold any type of operators licence, or (in Mr Amin’s case), from being director of any company holding or obtaining such a licence, A J Removals & Storage Ltd, have clearly lost out after failing to use a tachograph.
“I received a report from DVSA traffic examiner James Phillips. He reported that he had stopped the operator’s vehicle BU12 YTT on 21st May 2018. The vehicle was being driven by the director and transport manager Azam Amin. The vehicle was laden with empty removals boxes and blankets and Mr Amin informed the traffic examiner that he was on a journey from a job in Bromsgrove back to the operating centre in Halesowen.
“A check revealed that Mr Amin was not using his tachograph card. TE Phillips issued him with a 24 hour driving prohibition and a £300 fixed penalty. He informed Mr Amin that the vehicle would be immobilised for the duration of the prohibition: Mr Phillips then went to fetch the immobilisation cable but when he returned to the parking area, Mr Amin had driven away.” Confirms a report by the DVSA.
On 4th June 2018 Mr Amin appealed to DVSA against the fixed penalty, stating that he had been using the vehicle on 21st May for personal use, on his day off, to do some gas work to a large range cooker, unpaid as a favour for a friend. Mr Amin was a qualified gas engineer and he provided a copy of his Gas Safe Register Card.
Mr Amin attached to his appeal a letter dated 24th May 2018 from a ‘friend’ addressed in Bromsgrove confirming that Mr Amin had carried out unpaid gas work for her on 21st May.
After further investigation, she stated that Mr Amin was not a friend of hers and that she only knew him through being a customer of A J Removals whom she had used when she moved house from Kidderminster to Bromsgrove on 21st May. She provided a copy of the invoice for £1000 she had received for “removal”. When she had visited A J Removals’ premises on 24th May to pay the invoice she had been asked to sign a pre-prepared letter as a favour to Mr Amin.
Due to this, Azam Amin has lost his good repute as a transport manager and faces a 3 year disqualification starting 1st July 2019.
