Industry regulator Nick Denton revoked the firm’s transport licence on 16 January at a public inquiry in Birmingham. He said the ignorance of basic operational issues displayed by everyone at the business had been “astonishing”.
The traffic commissioner said there was insufficient evidence to conclude that the company had fitted the device, although it had been operated for three years without anyone realising that the vehicle required AdBlue.
The emulator device had the effect of turning off the use of AdBlue and disabling the warning light on the dashboard which would have told the driver that the AdBlue system was not functioning. This meant the maximum emission levels of the vehicle were being exceeded.
“The need for AdBlue should have been self-evident to anyone who understood the business of operating HGVs and who had kept up even a marginal acquaintance with the trade press over the last few years,” Denton said.
“The ignorance of basic operational issues displayed by everyone at the company is astonishing.”
The regulator also heard that the company’s drivers had committed numerous and repeated drivers’ hours offences, and nominated transport manager, Michael Mansfield, had failed to perform many required duties.
Mansfield also did not have a contract of employment with the business and received only token payments. He had therefore not had the “genuine link” with the operator which is a legal requirement. Mansfield was disqualified from acting as a transport manager for an indefinite period of time.