Driven to Despair - Report on DVLA medical section

astrocan:

Should driving privileges be suspended as a result of a failed HGV medical, there are processes in place to enable the driver to have his or her licence restored. Some of these processes can take months to complete. This is not intended to punish the driver in question, but rather to ensure both his/her safety and the safety of others on the road.

Also, be aware that falsifying an HGV medical form is against the law. The government takes the health of commercial drivers seriously; they do not look favourably on those who are untruthful in any way.

I hope you will pardon my hollow laugh, they may not be intended to punish the driver but they are definitely intended to protect the well padded backsides of the DVLA.
As for lying, Harry Clarke (Glasgow bin lorry) got away with it for ages and they didn’t even notice.

That idiot is an absolute disgrace and should have been jailed for what he did. Funny how much the DMG/DVLA toughened things up after this tragic event, but thanks to the PHSO report at least the FAILINGS of the DMG/DVLA have now come to light showing just how wrong the DMG got it. Those at the top of the tree at both the DMG/DVLA should be brought to account for their failings that have wrongly affected so many of us. Oliver Morley makes a half arsed apology but then tries to pat him self on the back by saying that they normally get things right. My arse they do. Lets hope that now this sham is out in the open, many of those that have been wronged will contact the PHSO, their MP’s and anyone else who may listen.

I’ve had to deal with the DMG for the last three years. Absoulote bunch of unfeeling robotic people. As a result of their actions I lost my licence, my job, my marriage and kids as well as my self respect. It’s take three years of my life, and my health has suffered as a result, to get my licence back fully. No doubt if I had the money I could have hired a solicitor and gone to court.

I truly hate those people that sent me a letter one morning revoking my licence on the basis of a form filling excersise filled in by a GP I had never even seen.

I would dearly love to take some sort of action against DVLA but don’t know where to start, or how to go about it. Also not sure if I have any fight left in me.

Dimlaith:
I would dearly love to take some sort of action against DVLA but don’t know where to start, or how to go about it. Also not sure if I have any fight left in me.

Don;t give up, i genuinely feel your pain, but don’t give up. Now is all of our best chances ever based on the PHSO report.
I’m in a similar boat, been fighting these ■■■■■■■ idiots for 2 years now and they are exactly as you describe, heartless, incompetent robots.
Well, heartless, incompetent robots that have now been exposed for all their failings. Its all well and good their head honcho Mr Morley trying to brush it under the carpet, but right now the more of us that pounce on this the better. They are probably hoping and praying that this will all quickly go away, so its up to the likes of you, i and everyone else who they have shafted to act, so that they don’t get away with it, and those in the clear rightly get back what belongs to them.

Like you, they have cost me dearly, my job. my lively hood, nigh on financial ruin, i was just lucky my Mrs has stuck by me through my dark days, and i’ve had a few. The ■■■■■■■■■ at the DMG who are responsible have no idea quite how many lives they have ruined. Now is your chance to maybe, maybe get some payback and justice!!!

Contact your MP, make sure you mention the PHSO report, also contact the PHSO direct, phone the DMG again, mention last weeks damning report of the DMG by the PHSO and ask what you now do to get the wrongs put right■■? Let me know what they say.

Its got to be worth another go :wink:

I’ve reapplied for my licence that I surrendered for medical reasons in 2006. I reapplied for it on the 21st of May this year. It’s now over 5 months and all they will tell me is that it’s in a queue and that if I feel fit and my GP agrees, then I can drive under section 88 of the RTA 1988. But who is going to employ me without a licence, and what about my DCPC?

They’re a major pain in the backside. They need to realise that they are having adverse affects on people, they are stopping us working.

I have sent my letter of complaint, I urge anybody who feels let down by the DMG to do the same. One of these over paid unfeeling pen pushers need to be held accountable…

Spooky558:
I’ve reapplied for my licence that I surrendered for medical reasons in 2006. I reapplied for it on the 21st of May this year. It’s now over 5 months and all they will tell me is that it’s in a queue and that if I feel fit and my GP agrees, then I can drive under section 88 of the RTA 1988. But who is going to employ me without a licence, and what about my DCPC?

They’re a major pain in the backside. They need to realise that they are having adverse affects on people, they are stopping us working.

You are right, they do need to realize the pain and suffering they have caused, not just to lorry drivers, (or ex) like ourselves, but this could have affected a much wider scope of people as well. Keep watching this thread, plans are being made :wink:

Dimlaith:
I have sent my letter of complaint, I urge anybody who feels let down by the DMG to do the same. One of these over paid unfeeling pen pushers need to be held accountable…

Well done, thats the spirit :sunglasses:
The PHSO contacted me today, and it was an interesting conversation.
Do complain, keep a record on paper of any letters or phone calls you make, times, dates etc and keep us posted please.
As before, keep watching this thread if you don’t mind, as a couple of us are trying to get the ball rolling on some things, to see if all of us that have been wronged, can turn the table on the DVLA/DMG.

Big Ben:
The chap who deals with these complaints email is :- ica.ian-bynoe@dft.gsi.gov.uk
He dealt with my case found the DVLA to be negligent an awarded me my case against them.

I tried this email but Mr. Bynoe is no longer an appointed ICA. He posseses sufficient compassion to pass my message on to the correct people though. This explains why he can’t work for DVLA.

I have a question( sorry to jump in)

If a medical is due but I choose not to have it by the due time , can I take the medical later (6 months) then have my licence updated then ?
Cheers

mas430:
I have a question( sorry to jump in)

If a medical is due but I choose not to have it by the due time , can I take the medical later (6 months) then have my licence updated then ?
Cheers

I’m no expert but I have always supposed that the licence is dependant on a current medical. No medical means no licence. If your licence is allowed to expire then you may have to go back to square 1.
If I have learnt anything from dealing with DVLA it’s that they are really only interested in protecting their jobs and pensions and are not going to put those at risk by making a considered judgement. If you ask them to choose between your livlihood and their comfort…you loose.

mas430:
I have a question( sorry to jump in)

If a medical is due but I choose not to have it by the due time , can I take the medical later (6 months) then have my licence updated then ?
Cheers

I did this a couple of years ago whilst I got a health problem, (which actually was not, but that’s another story), sorted and a few weeks after the date when the medical form should have been returned I received a letter telling me my HGV entitlement was now lapsed and asking me to return my licence with either a completed medical form or to choose whether to leave the entitlement there so that a medical form could be submitted in the future, or I could choose to have the entitlement removed completely, (I am not sure why you would do that but the option is there). The form is strangely worded so to make sure I also put in a letter saying I did not want to revoke / remove/ cancel my entitlement and would be submitting a medical form in the future.
My licence then came back with the HGV entitlements removed. I submitted a medical form a couple of months later and a new licence was issued, but this did take at least 3 months, fortunately I did not need the HGV entitlement at that time as driving is not my main work, for a full time driver it would have been a disaster.
I did drive a car in France during this 3 month period and explaining to a gendarme why I only had a photocopy of my licence, blown up to A4 to make it easier to read was a challenge for my limited grasp of French. I did not try to hire a car but presumably it makes that all but impossible outside the UK as well. Depriving you of your car licence whilst considering your entitlement to drive a HGV sounds like a human rights issue to me.
I would make sure you keep a scan of your existing licence with the entitlements on as I have heard stories of DVLA “losing” the record of drivers entitlements. I certainly had a friend whose licence came back when he went through this process and they took off his 7.5t entitlement, which he had by acquired / grandfather rights just like any pre 97 car driver. Presumably if you have a "new post 97 " 7.5t entitlement acquired by test, for which you need a medical, they would definitely remove it as well.

Thankyou Manski for the detailed reply.
My medical is due December but I had emergency spinal surgery in August, my doctor said not to bother with trying for a medical as they will not pass me right now but maybe in 6 -8mths time.
I too have heard of people losing entitlement for their bike licence when just trying to renew a photo, I have scanned mine because of it.
Thanks again.

Any updates from anyone?
I spoke with a gentleman at the PHSO and followed his advice. I wrote to MR Morley again at the DVLA and asked for a level 3 investigation into my case. I listed all my reasons for this and explained in my email to Mr Morley that based on all previous dealings with the DVLA/DMG I wasn’t expecting any positive outcome from this based on my own experiences. I also told him that I wasn’t to bothered now as this was just a formality so that I could move my case on to the Independent Assessor.
I received an email back from a gentleman at the DVLA explaining he was dealing with my complaints.
A short gap, then another email from the same gentleman telling me he was due to meet with the chief medical adviser at the DMG to review my case.

On FRIDAY, the best yet. A lady from the DVLA phoned me, asked my name, and asked if I was having a nice day? I explained to her that I wasn’t as it was my birthday, christmas was fast approaching and for the last 2 years the DVLA/DMG had managed to ruin both of these events for me as well as putting myself and my family under immense personal and financial pressure all due to their idiotic rulings in cases like ours. I told her the only thing that had recently made me happy was the excellent PHSO report highlighting just had bad the DMG/DVLA are.
Well she did ask.

She went on to inform me that she had been instructed by her bosses to contact me so that they could let me know they are sending me the LGV licence forms and a D2 medical form so that I can re apply for my licence :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:
Funny that in the last 2 years they have never once contacted me by phone in relation to anything involved in my fight, and yet now all of a sudden they want to be all friendly and helpful :unamused:
How odd. :wink:

I’ll be interested to see how this unfolds?

Has anybody else here had any dealings or communication with them, post the PHSO report?

I’m currently signed off due to high blood pressure, I contacted DVLA like a good boy should and my licence is due to be revoked at the end of December. The signs are that the medication I’m on has brought down my BP below the limits, so hopefully my doctor will send the forms back in time and I will be declared fit to drive again before the deadline strikes and I’m sucked into the ‘system’.

Dimlaith:
I have sent my letter of complaint, I urge anybody who feels let down by the DMG to do the same. One of these over paid unfeeling pen pushers need to be held accountable…

Any news or updates mate, have they responded■■?

I went to my docs earlier to get the D4 forms sorted that the DVLA sent me. Whilst there my doctor told me about the conversation he had with an idiot at the DMG in March this year. At that time I was still fighting my case and the DMG had insisted they would only now act if my GP contacted them. I spoke with my doc about this and after a few phone calls with him he agreed. The DMG informed me that my doctor had to phone them the following morning between 10am-1.30pm only and quoting a specific reference number. This is exactly what he did, only to be told by the DMG that they had no record of my case.
WTF■■?
When my doctor phoned me to tell me of this I immediately phoned the DVLA, (remember the DMG won’t speak to me.) The very helpful guy on the phone asked me some simple questions and immediately got all of my details regarding my case up on his computer. Even he said he couldn’t understand what the DMG were saying? He then gave me a new reference number but said my doctor must phone them today otherwise it would become void.
I phoned my GP straight away and after stressing the importance of this to me, he phoned them and this is what he was told by a ‘DR Reece’ I believe.
DR Reece said, “I don’t see why you, (my GP) are getting so involved and concerning yourself with Mr. Staffords case? Mr Stafford would be far better getting a letter from a specialist consultant in regards to his case.”

I kid you not, this is exactly what my GP told me tonight. So despite having already being told by my consultant twice in 2014 and overruling him, the DMG insisted they would only act with evidence from my GP. When they were presented with this, the above happened. :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp: :smiling_imp:

They really are on a new level of stupidity, but most of us already know that :neutral_face:

My complaint is in the system and it’s a waiting game I’m afraid. Make sure you keep all letters and make a record of dates and times you contact DMG as well as the names of whom you speak to and what they say. Keep at it is all I can add at this time.

Folowing on from my recent post, i received my licence this week…but today i received a letter from DVLA stating my licence is on its way…lol…then going on to state the treadmill test ( stress test ) now lasts for 3 years, and seeing as i have had one within the 3 year period, my licence is issued until the next one is due ( in 2 years time…so good news all round, sadly, it still took 3 months of which one month was wasted with the doctors…

I have had a promise that my licence would be returned if I make an application, they will send the forms. They didn’t. So I asked where the forms were and they lied about Royal Mail losing them and they would send some more. They didn’t. So I asked again, and they lied again, and I lodged a new complaint, two days later I get a letter and a form. The letter is dated over a week ago and the form is a D1 which has ‘Do not use this form for LGV licence applications’ written prominently acros the top. The post mark is yesterday and it has been sent second class, so Royal Mail excelled themselves when given the opportunity.
Since then DVLA have gone quiet, this is not normally a good sign.

FFS.
I sent the forms off a week ago, nothing.
Been chasing them up to find out what is going on. NOW they tell me I should send them addressed to a particular individual in a special office!!
How in the name of everything holy am I supposed to KNOW that if they don’t tell me?
If you don’t follow instructions you’re wrong.
If you follow instuctions you’re wrong.