Ok, let me tell ya a story…Two weeks ago i was on my way home and i was in Membury services, a guy approached me on the pumps and started telling me about a ‘mate’ that had had his license taken away from him for having food poisioning… didn’t really take much notice, just wanted to get bak to the yard and home.
Anyway, it did play on my mind the next day when i was on the net surfing, checked the DVLA site, then kind of forgot.
So, monday was sposed to be doing a mannie trunk, but ended up staying in the yard helping with the shunting, anyway, was stood having a ■■■ and a oldish drive came over for a chat like ya do. All the niceties out of the way and he says “I miss driving” he then goes on to tell me this…
He wasn’t feeling to good at the start of his shift and by the end of it he didn’t really feel much better, so anyway the next day he calls up sick and books an appointment with his quack. He goes to the quack and they tell him he’s got food poisioning. Go home and rest you’ll be fine. So that’s what he does. He gets better he’s back out on the road in no time. He then gets notification (didn’t tell me how) that he’s lost his HGV entitlement. The doctor had evidently called DVLA and told them that he was unfit to drive due to Blackouts, loss of hearing, loss of balance, loss of co-ordination basically rubbish. Therefore without a moments notice they revoked it.
He’s been back to the doctors, he’s seen a top consultant to have himself checked out professionally, DVLA medical examiner the lot. He cannot get his license back because he cannot prove that he didn’t have the symptoms they have described, even though he’s fine now. It’s his word against the medical profession. He now has to wait until April, have a medical and he will have it back.
just thought you might like to know that even though were x amount of drivers short in this country the DVLA will do anything to take you off the road at a moments notice.
I never drive if i feel ill, i won’t even take over the counter remedies whilst i’m driving if they could effect my ability to drive… but then how do you know if they will or won’t? simple… you just don’t take them.
Obviously i don’t know the full in’s and out’s of this story either, so let me know what you think on it
