The Traffic Commissioner for the East of England, Richard Turfitt, has revoked the operator's licence of K & CO. Holdings Ltd, disqualifying the company and its director, Johnson Kudenga, from holding or obtaining an operator's licence for two years.
The decision follows a public inquiry that revealed a long list of infringements.
The inquiry, held on 30 July 2025, found that K & CO. Holdings Ltd had failed to meet multiple statutory requirements under the Goods Vehicle (Licensing of Operators) Act. These included:
- Unauthorised use of operating centres
- Failure to notify material changes and maintain effective management
- Non-compliance with vehicle maintenance and inspection schedules
- Inadequate driver defect reporting and record-keeping
- Use of vehicles with expired test certificates and insecure loads
- Improper use of driver tachograph cards, raising serious concerns about driver conduct and safety
The company's former Transport Manager, Faruq Arif, was also disqualified for one year after being found to have lost his professional repute. He admitted to failing to notify the Commissioner of significant operational changes and was found to have misled regulators by remaining associated with the licence despite ceasing effective management.
Driver Tafadzwa Brian Madzonga had his vocational entitlement suspended for three months following a roadside inspection that uncovered multiple safety violations, including driving a vehicle with an expired MOT, insecure cargo, and misuse of another driver's tachograph card.
The Commissioner noted that the operator had ceased operations shortly after DVSA intervention and failed to provide any financial or compliance documentation when requested. The inquiry revealed that operational control had been handed over to an unverified individual, Marius Farer, whose actions further compromised safety and compliance.
Mr Turfitt said "Added to the failure to adhere to even basic requirements, the above …illustrates the risk presented to other road users from poor loading to a vehicle which was out of test. There was no evidence of drivers being managed properly: with out-of-date calibration and a failure to supervise those requirements or to even have proper control measures in place. Such breaches fundamentally undermine the trust which can be placed in an operator, and which is the foundation of the licence grant. That is all the more acute where the operator is found to have used a device in an attempt to gain a commercial advantage through the retention of ("self- employed") drivers."
The licence revocation took effect immediately.
The full written decision can be found here.
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