Caravan Haulier’s “Truly Astonishing” Dishonesty Leads to Licence Revocation in One of the UK’s Worst Compliance Cases

29 January 2026 — Leeds
A static caravan transport operator has been stripped of its licences and its director disqualified indefinitely after what a Deputy Traffic Commissioner (DTC) described as “almost as bad as it gets” in terms of deception, obstruction, and compliance failures within the UK haulage sector.

The case centres on K Thorburn, a caravan haulage firm operating from sites near Hull and Ross‑on‑Wye, and its director, Kyle Thorburn, who was found to have engaged in an extended pattern of dishonesty and non‑cooperation with regulators. According to DTC Mark Hinchliffe, the operator had undertaken a “strategic campaign of non-cooperation” that amounted to a direct attack on its good repute and fitness to hold an operator’s licence.

Expired MOT, ANPR Evidence, and an 18‑Month Standoff

The investigation began after ANPR systems recorded one of the company’s lorries in use across December 2023, January 2024, and February 2024, despite the vehicle’s MOT having expired. When the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) requested an explanation, Thorburn responded with what would become an 18‑month-long chain of emails that failed to answer regulatory concerns and ultimately forced the operator to appear before a public inquiry in Leeds.

Thorburn attempted to defend himself by claiming he had been dealing with “the Southern region” of DVSA and that the issue had already been resolved assertions the DTC said were unsupported by any evidence. Hinchliffe concluded that these claims were “patently untrue,” noting that the director had never produced a single document to substantiate them.

False Claims, Obfuscation, and Attempts to Mislead Regulators

In his written judgment, Hinchliffe said Thorburn’s shifting explanations and evasive behaviour displayed deliberate obstructiveness, compounded by attempts to minimise or dismiss serious maintenance failures once documentation was finally supplied.

The DTC found that Thorburn had been dishonest right up to and including the inquiry itself, describing the conduct as “a deliberate strategy” of confrontation and misinformation designed to frustrate both DVSA inspectors and the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

One particularly concerning claim, that the lorry in question had been sold was also found to be false. Regulators said this misrepresentation further undermined Thorburn’s credibility and confirmed a broader pattern of dishonesty.

“Almost as Bad as It Gets”: A Devastating Assessment

In a stark conclusion, Hinchliffe summarised the scale of the misconduct:

“This case is almost as bad as it gets when it comes to endless non‑co‑operation, deliberate and confrontational obfuscation, and dishonesty in the operator’s dealings with the DVSA and the traffic commissioner.”
— Deputy TC Mark Hinchliffe

Given the severity of the findings, the DTC revoked K Thorburn’s operator licences and imposed an indefinite disqualification on director Kyle Thorburn — one of the harshest outcomes available under UK transport regulatory powers.

A Warning to Industry Operators

The ruling serves as a stark reminder to haulage firms that transparency, documentation, and genuine cooperation with regulators are not optional. In a sector already under strain from rising costs and increased compliance obligations, regulators are showing zero tolerance for dishonesty or evasiveness.

As one of the toughest verdicts seen in recent years, the Thorburn case is likely to become a benchmark example in transport compliance training — a cautionary tale of how quickly an operator can lose everything when it chooses confrontation over cooperation.

Oliver Bennett

Oliver Bennett is a logistics specialist focused on transport management and operational efficiency. His work centres on route optimisation, supply chain reliability and improving the movement of goods across domestic and international networks.

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