Scottish hauler Northwards Ltd has had its operator’s licence curtailed and its repute “tarnished”, after Traffic Commissioner Richard Turfitt found significant shortcomings in its vehicle maintenance, driver management and compliance systems.
The recently published ruling by the Traffic Commissioners’ Office reveals that the company was called before a Public Inquiry in Edinburgh in May 2026 after a DVSA investigation raised concerns about the standard of its transport management and its compliance with the conditions of its operator’s licence.
Northwards, which holds a Standard National Goods Vehicle Operator’s Licence authorising up to 50 vehicles and 138 trailers, operates from depots across Scotland, including Aberdeen, Inverness, Cumbernauld, Orkney and Shetland. It provides general haulage services, including the movement of freight and essential commodities to and from the Northern Isles.
The Traffic Commissioner’s concerns followed a desk-based DVSA assessment in March 2025 which was rated “unsatisfactory”. Inspectors identified gaps in brake performance testing, maintenance scheduling and vehicle records.
Preventative Maintenance Inspections had exceeded the operator’s declared intervals by as much as 21 days, while records were incomplete and sometimes lacked required endorsements and roadworthiness declarations.
There were also concerns about brake testing following repairs, wheel-security checks and recurring problems with brake performance and headlamp aim at annual tests.
The operator had previously received formal warnings following unsatisfactory maintenance investigations in 2013 and 2018.
A significant vehicle defect was also recorded at annual test in December 2024 when a fractured main leaf was found on one of its vehicles.
The Public Inquiry considered whether Northwards had complied with a range of operator-licensing requirements, including vehicle maintenance, driver defect reporting, drivers’ hours and tachograph controls, licence undertakings and the effective management of its transport operations.
The Traffic Commissioner also examined the role of Robert Laurence Leslie, who had been the company’s Transport Manager since the licence was granted.
A subsequent compliance audit identified further weaknesses. These included inconsistencies in maintenance schedules, incomplete brake-test records, inadequate driver defect documentation, gaps in tyre management and shortcomings in driver training and records.
There were also missing tachograph data and instances where driver cards had not been downloaded within the required 28-day period.
One driver was found to have driven for almost three hours without a driver card, while another had taken two reduced weekly rests consecutively despite being in the UK.
Northwards presented evidence of a substantial programme of remedial action. This included new digital maintenance-planning systems, additional brake testing, revised tyre-management procedures, driver training, new compliance policies and greater oversight of depot operations.
The company also appointed a dedicated Head of Fleet Compliance, James Leask, to provide additional support across its depots.
However, the Traffic Commissioner concluded that the improvements had come too late and that the company’s management structure had not previously provided effective oversight of compliance.
Leslie admitted during the inquiry that he had failed to exercise the “effective and continuous management” expected of a Transport Manager.
The Commissioner concluded that he had been spread too thinly across the company’s geographically dispersed operations.
The Commissioner allowed Leslie to step down as Transport Manager and granted a three-month period of grace for Northwards to review its management arrangements and nominate suitable CPC-qualified Transport Managers.
Leslie’s repute was found to be “undoubtedly tarnished”, with future Transport Manager nominations to be scrutinised by the Traffic Commissioner.
The Commissioner stopped short of revoking Northwards’ licence, but described the case as falling into the “Serious” category and said deterrent regulatory action was necessary.
He criticised the “complacency” of the board members, who, he said ”appeared to be entirely unaware” of the statutory duties of a Traffic Manager.
The final decision was to curtail Northwards Ltd’s licence by five vehicles for one week, from 23:45 on 23 May 2026.
The Commissioner said the operator’s repute had been tarnished by the events but added that a repeat of the failings “was not expected.”
