Decision for GT Transport Services Limited (OK2061546, OH2077358, OF2077360)
Written decision of the Deputy Traffic Commissioner in the South East and Metropolitan area for GT Transport Services Limited
SOUTH EAST AND METROPOLITAN TRAFFIC AREA
DECISION OF THE DEPUTY TRAFFIC COMMISSIONER
PUBLIC INQUIRY HEARD AT IVY HOUSE, EASTBOURNE ON 28 SEPTEMBER 2026
OK2061546, OH2077358, OF2077360 GT TRANSPORT SERVICES LIMITED
Findings and Decisions
Grounds found to consider regulatory action as detailed in the call-up letter under: Section 26(1)(a) (ca) (e) and (f) of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995.
The licences OH2077358 and, OF2077360 are revoked with immediate effect under Section 26 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995 as a result of the grounds set out above.
Licence OK2061546 is confirmed as varied to authorising seven vehicles and seven trailers with the operating centre at Unit 10 & 11, Kelvin Industrial Estate, Long Drive, Greenford, UB6 8WA. This variation can be marked as final and supersedes the interim direction previously given.
Licence OK2061546 is suspended for seven days with effect from 00.01 hours on the 19 October until 23.59 hours on the 25 October 2026. Thereafter the licence will be curtailed to five vehicles for a period of twenty-eight days.
A finding is made that the operator does not meet the requirement for professional competence under Section 27(1) (b) of the Act and a period of grace for two months is granted to enable that situation to be rectified.
Undertakings are recorded as follows:
- Evidence of financial standing for the period 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026 to be submitted to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner by the 31 January 2027.
- The operator undertakes to identify an independent body to carry out an audit of transport safety and compliance systems. The audit will assess the systems for complying with maintenance and drivers’ hours requirements, and the effectiveness with which those systems are implemented. The audit should cover at least the applicable elements detailed in the guidance on Operator Compliance Audits available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/operator-compliance-audits
A copy of the report together with the operator’s detailed proposals for implementing the report’s recommendations is to be uploaded to the licence record via the Vehicle Operator Licensing self-service account, or, if the operator does not have a self-service account, emailed to notifications@vehicle-operator-licensing.service.gov.uk by 31 March 2027.
- The repute of transport managers Sunila Dhall and Andrew Sayers is retained but severely tarnished.
Background
The operator GT Transport Services Limited is the holder of three standard national licences, OK2061546 (OK licence) issued on the 27 January 2023 authorising two vehicles and two trailers, OH2077358 (OH licence) issued on the 3 December 2024 authorising three vehicles and three trailers and OF2077360 (OF licence) also issued on the 3 December 2024 authorising one vehicle and one trailer. The director of the company is Hardeep Singh Tattla and the designated transport manager on the OK licence was Sunil Dhall until 18 September 2026. The transport manager designated on the OH and OF licences is Andrew Sayer.
On 30 July 2025 vehicle a desk-based assessment was carried out on the OK licence and this recorded an overall marking of unsatisfactory with eight unsatisfactory individual areas leading to that conclusion. Following the assessment the operator and transport manager submitted a response with promises for improvements to be implemented.
On the 11 November 2025 a further desk-based assessment was conducted on the OH licence and this was also marked unsatisfactory overall with seven unsatisfactory areas. The identified failings were mainly the same as those found on the 30 July 2025. Following the assessment further promises for improvement were made by the operator and transport manager.
On the 19 March 2026 a joint Investigation was conducted by Traffic Examiner Childs and Vehicle Examiner Quargraine in respect of the OF licence. Mr Childs found failings which were a continuation of the previous findings including an absence of missing mileage reports and disciplinary procedures. He also found that the operator was using an unauthorised operating centre for all three licences and that on 13 occasions between 2 December 2025 and 6 February 2026 vehicles had been driven without a driver card inserted in the tachograph unit.
Mr Quargraine identified the issue with the operating centre and failings in the maintenance systems which were continuations of the previous findings made in the two desk-based assessments. The operator and transport managers responded to both investigations on 6 April 2026 and made promises of change and improvements. On the 6 April 2026 an application was made to vary the OK licence to nine vehicle and nine trailers and to approve a new operating centre at Unit 10 & 11, Kelvin Industrial Estate, Long Drive, Greenford, UB6 8WA.
An additional application was made on the 6 April 2026 to approve Nachatter Sangra as a transport manager on the OK licence but this appears not to have been progressed by the administrative staff. An interim licence was granted approving the new operating centre for seven vehicles and seven trailers on an interim basis.
A decision was taken to call all three licences and the two transport managers Mr Dhall and Mr Sayers to public inquiry Call up letters and case management directions were issued accordingly. A conjoined hearing was also arranged for four drivers who were alleged to have driven without using a tachograph card and Mr Tattla who was alleged to have done so when driving one of the authorised vehicles.
In response to the case management directions documentation was sent to Mr Childs and Mr Quagraine. In his analysis Mr Childs concluded that whilst some improvements had been made there were still concerns in relation to the systems in place for driving licence checks, identifying infringements, missing mileage and managing an effective disciplinary process. Mr Quargraine concluded that improvements had been made in relation to the vehicle maintenance systems, but the thoroughness of processes and paperwork was not demonstrating full compliance.
The Public Inquiry
Director Hardeep Tattla and transport managers Sunil Dhall and Andrew Sayers attended the inquiry and were represented by Ms Evans. Traffic Examiner Childs and Vehicle Examiner Quargraine attended virtually via Microsoft Teams. The four drivers who had been called to the conjoined hearings also attended and I heard evidence from them. Separate decisions will be issued in relation to their cases. For the purposes of this decision, it is relevant to note that they admitted driving without using their tachograph cards, but they did not say that they had been encouraged or persuaded to do so by the operator.
In relation to the move to the operating centre in Greenford Mr Tattla said that this had happened in January 2026 and the vehicles from the three licences had been kept there from that time. In response to Ms Evans he said that the application for approval was not made until April because they were still looking for a suitable site and were unsure how long they would be staying at the Greenford site.
Mr Childs confirmed the contents of his report which was not contested. He also confirmed his concerns in relation to missing mileage and apparent offences of drivers not using tachograph cards. Two instances of this for a driver were highlighted and Mr Childs explained why an assumption by the operator that the driver had put a card in the wrong slot in the vehicle unit was not confirmed by the tachograph print out. Mr Tattla also accepted he was unaware of a fixed penalty issued on the 13 May 2026 to a driver who had not been using a card.
Mr Quargraine adopted the contents of his report and highlighted a recent MOT failure involving a steering defect which should have been remedied before the test was conducted.
A comprehensive bundle of documents had been submitted by Ms Evans in advance of the inquiry on behalf of the operator and the transport managers and I indicated that I was content for the contents to be adopted. Mr Tattla said that he believed that some of the failings on the drivers’ hours side which were acknowledged were a result of changing systems twice which included paying for a system called Vorizon which in the event did not produce the documentation required including missing mileage reports. The system now in use was Tachomaster which is a “tried and tested” system and consultants “Mister Tacho Limited” have been engaged. Mr Dhall has resigned his position, and Mr Sayers was intending to do so after the public inquiry. It was intended that Ms Sangra replaced them and would work from the centralised operating centre.
Mr Dhall and Mr Sayers said that initially they had managed the licences separately, but when the operation was centralised they had divided the duties so that Mr Dhall dealt with the tachograph and other driver related issues and Mr Sayers dealt with maintenance aspects. They accepted that this had not worked and the improvements which had been intended had not happened. Mr Sayers said that he had recommended a PMI provider to Mr Tattla, but the individual had not been providing an acceptable level of service. He should have kept a closer eye on everything and checked paperwork more thoroughly. Mr Dhall submitted evidence of him undertaking recent training and a Traffic Examiner report for the licence where he is the designated transport manger which shows a mostly satisfactory outcome.
Finance was discussed in closed session but on hearing evidence from Mr Tattla I am satisfied that financial standing was shown on the day of the inquiry and previous concerns could be met by an undertaking to show this was the case on a continuing basis.
In closing Ms Evans accepted that this was a case in the severe to serious category but submitted that the operator could be trusted going forward and revocation of the licence was not required or necessary. She asked for a period of grace to be granted in relation to the absence of a designated transport manager and subsequent enquiries confirmed that Ms Sangra would be able to oversee compliance immediately pending the processing of her application by the administrative staff.
Findings and Decisions
It is accepted that this case meets the criteria for the description of “serious to severe”. There are grounds for regulatory action as a result of the unauthorised use of an operating centre (Section 26(1)(a) of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995, fixed penalties issued,(Section 26(1) (ca)); statements made when licence applied for not fulfilled (Section 26(1) (e)) and undertakings not complied with (Section 26(1) (f)). In deciding whether repute is lost and revocation of the licence is appropriate I need to balance the negative aspects and any positives I identified. The negatives stem mainly from the breadth of compliance failings and the failure by the operator despite the assistance of two transport managers to address these effectively. My belief is that this resulted from a combination of factors. Mr Tattla was inexperienced, naive and insufficiently focused on compliance to carry though the promises made after each DVSA investigation.
The transport managers failed to fulfil their roles effectively and alert Mr Tattla to the seriousness of the situation. An example is found in the use of the operating centre at Greenford for three months without authority. Even an inexperienced transport manager and especially an experienced one should have realised action was required to regularise the position. Similarly, the more recent incident involving a driver not using a tachograph card on two occasions shows that Mr Tattla found, what transpired to be an erroneous reason for his doing so without speaking to the driver. Mr Dhall in turn did not challenge the action or speak to the driver which is a failing on his part. My concern and uncertainty is whether, if the licence continues, this lack of effective oversight and redress where needed will be a feature.
There are positives in that a new maintenance provider has been contracted, the tachograph software has been changed, a consultant engaged and various policies introduced. Mr Tattla seemed to understand that moving forward there must be much greater oversight of drivers and if necessary disciplinary action taken. Whilst I have not met the proposed new transport manager it is hoped that whoever is appointed will be more proactive and focused than Mr Dhall and Mr Sayers were.
On balance therefore I am prepared to draw back from revocation but emphasise it is a close decision. The operator is being given a chance to show that the required improvements can be made and sustained. To underline the seriousness and to send a tangible message to the operator and the drivers I find that this case still requires significant regulatory action.
My decision is therefore as follows:
- The licences OH2077358 and, OF2077360 are revoked with immediate effect under Section 26 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995, as a result of the grounds set out in paragraph 17 of this decision.
- Licence OK2061546 is confirmed as varied to authorising seven vehicles and seven trailers with the operating centre at Unit 10 & 11, Kelvin Industrial Estate, Long Drive, Greenford, UB6 8WA. This variation can be marked as final and supersede the interim direction previously given.
- Licence OK2061546 is suspended for seven days with effect from 00.01 hours on the 19 October until 23.59 hours on the 25 October 2026. Thereafter the licence will be curtailed to five vehicles for a period of twenty-eight days.
- A finding is made that the operator does not meet the requirement for professional competence under Section 27(1) (b) of the Act and a period of grace for two months is granted to enable that situation to be rectified.
- Undertakings are recorded as follows:
-
Evidence of financial standing for the period 1 October 2026 to 31 December 2026 to be submitted to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner by the 31 January 2027.
- The operator undertakes to identify an independent body to carry out an audit of transport safety and compliance systems. The audit will assess the systems for complying with maintenance and drivers’ hours requirements, and the effectiveness with which those systems are implemented. The audit should cover at least the applicable elements detailed in the guidance on Operator Compliance Audits available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/operator-compliance-audits
A copy of the report together with the operator’s detailed proposals for implementing the report’s recommendations is to be uploaded to the licence record via the Vehicle Operator Licensing self-service account, or, if the operator does not have a self-service account, emailed to notifications@vehicle-operator-licensing.service.gov.uk by 31 March 2027.
iii) The repute of transport managers Sunila Dhall and Andrew Sayers is retained but severely tarnished.
John Baker
Deputy Traffic Commissioner
1 October 2026