Following a thorough investigation, a haulage company based in Wiltshire, Quick Road Transport, has had its license revoked due to employing the majority of its drivers through limited companies.
West of England Traffic Commissioner, Kevin Rooney, revealed that out of 15 HGVs operated by Quick Road Transport, only one driver was not employed through a limited company associated with the haulier.
After a public inquiry in Bristol, Commissioner Rooney explained that these drivers, known as “Ltd drivers,” essentially served their own limited companies, which then subcontracted work from Quick Road Transport to various clients such as Amazon.
This practice has drawn criticism from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for granting unfair commercial advantages to operators by circumventing national insurance and pension contributions, and allowing drivers to evade tax responsibilities.
In a related incident from last November, Enero Logistics was discovered to have been paying drivers through agency arrangements, despite being previously instructed to cease payments through their own limited companies.
In addition to the employment structure concerns, Commissioner Rooney found that Quick Road Transport failed to meet financial standing requirements. Furthermore, it was revealed that the company’s director and transport manager, Mariusz Brdak, obtained his CPC certification in Poland, which was invalid in the UK.
