Pentons Haulage and Coldstorage has had its vehicle operator’s licence cut from 70 vehicles to 60 after a Deputy Traffic Commissioner found significant failures in its management of drivers, tachograph records and vehicle compliance.
The Oswestry-based company was called to a public inquiry by the West Midlands Traffic Commissioner Dr Paul Stookes on 23 September 2026.
The inquiry followed a DVSA investigation into the company triggered by one of Pentons’ drivers testing positive for cocaine after his truck collided with a barrier on the M54.
The DVSA investigation identified nine drivers with infringements during checks between August and November 2025. These included driving without a driver card inserted in the vehicle’s tachograph, with some drivers travelling significant distances without activating their cards.
In one case, a driver travelled 459km over six hours and 48 minutes without a card inserted. Another drove 295km over five hours and 40 minutes without a card.
Investigators found that a total of 10,535km had been covered by the firm’s vehicles without a driver card, with 22 of 32 drivers not maintaining complete driver card records.
Although the investigation found no evidence the drivers had deliberately falsified records, it did discover a lack of adequate instruction and training, with drivers often unaware that their actions were unlawful.
The Commissioner noted the drivers were “largely unaware” they were acting unlawfully, either removing their cards at times such as when moving vehicles within a yard, or by recording the time and travel accurately in a diary because they had forgotten their driver card but then not communicating this to the operator.
“Moreover, the drivers were not informed about their infringements by the operator at the time they occurred,” he added.
Vehicle maintenance and environmental compliance were also criticised. A DVSA maintenance investigation assessed several areas as unsatisfactory, including inspection and maintenance records and vehicle emissions management.
An S-marked prohibition was issued to a vehicle in October 2025, and three DVSA maintenance reports over two-and-a-half years had indicated a decline in compliance standards.
The investigation also found a limited awareness of wider vehicle emissions issues, including engine idling. Although the company monitored AdBlue usage and operated a fuel-efficiency bonus scheme, its approach to reducing emissions and the impact of idling on air quality was not sufficiently developed.
The public inquiry heard that the company accepted the shortcomings identified in the DVSA reports and made improvements in driver training, infringement monitoring and management oversight.
The Commissioner said: “The positive factors include that this is the first occasion that the operator has been called to a public inquiry since its licence was granted in 1993.
“There is also the fact that the shortcomings, particularly in relation to driver management and oversight, were addressed at an early stage with material improvements noted since December 2025.
“Further, the systems and structures do now appear to be in place, or are about to be, to secure continuing compliance.”
However, despite these improvements, the Commissioner decided to indefinitely reduce the company’s authorised fleet from 70 to 60 vehicles to help the business concentrate on maintaining compliance across a smaller operation.
In addition he ruled that Pentons must commission an independent audit of its transport safety and compliance systems, covering vehicle maintenance and drivers’ hours, which he said could help its case if it wanted to apply for an extension of its licence at a future date.
The audit report, together with detailed proposals for implementing its recommendations, must be submitted by 31 March 2027.
The Commissioner also found that the reputations of both MD Stephen Penton, who was responsible for vehicle maintenance and management, and former transport manager Anthony Harris, who oversaw driver management, had been severely tarnished, but not lost.
The ruling also suggested that Pentons consider appointing a third transport manager or replacing Stephen Penton, who he said as managing director and transport manager had too many tasks.
Separate decisions are to be issued in relation to the individual drivers, which the Commissioner said generally fell towards the lower end of the recommended regulatory action, ranging from warnings to one-week suspensions per offence.
