DVLA Medical - 8wk waiting time

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hey All,

More of a light-hearted post where you can just be glad you aren’t in my situation.
Hopefully it helps someone else avoid a bit of frustration and extra waiting time.

tldr: see the bottom :wink:

For those that don’t know, I am currently attempting to gain DWP funding for my Class 2 and 1 (+everything else that involves).
The key was that I was able to go in with a job offer already in hand, subject to me acquiring the relevant skills and qualifications.
I also took it upon myself to get the medical done early so the lack of it couldn’t be used against me.
Unfortunately, despite my local GP saying in advance that they could complete and fill-in the entire D4 medical form, when the day came they were, in fact unable to do the ‘vision’ section. OK, somewhat annoying in that I had to then book in and make a trip to my optician a couple of days later, but not the end of the world.

Went to the optician, who filled in their specific part of the form (after chuckling and head-shaking at GP’s not being able to do it themselves) and then sent the whole thing off to DVLA expecting the usual 2-3 week turnaround.

After just shy of 3 weeks, I got a letter through the post from DVLA Medical.
Sorry, we are not able to grant you a LGV license of any sort as your eyes do not meet the required standard - specifically the dioptre correction :open_mouth:
After bricking it that this was the world’s shortest venture into the world of LGV driving, I quickly realized that something had gone very wrong. There surely must have been a misprint or a mistake made.
After a call to my optician to see if this sounded right based on what they know about my eyes they said there shouldn’t be any problem.
So, a call to the DVLA quickly established that the optician had in fact checked a box that she shouldn’t have.
Not a huge problem the man said, but we will require you to get the return form filled in by your optician just to confirm what you have told me. Once that is received there won’t be any further issues as there are no other points they need to look into.
So, back to the optician again, form filled in and in the post last week.

Anyways, since then good news on my funding application :sunglasses:
Apparently it has been approved at a local and regional level - I had to go in to review all the details on Monday so then it could be sent off for the final, national approval.
Thought I would call DVLA Medical today to see if they had received my form from last week and if could be expecting my provisional license back soon.
Ah yes the lady confirmed, your form has just been scanned on to the system on Tuesday - but you do know there is an 8 week waiting time atm… right?
8 F****** weeks??!!
I think I refrained from swearing and suggested that she must be joking or something.
I explained to her that it was simply a case of a mistakenly-checked box on a form and I was under the impression that I would be getting my license as soon as I had sent back the verification.
No, she said - the form has just been scanned into the system and will then be allocated to a case assessor when one is next available - and as they have an 8 week backlog, well…
I said, so what you are saying is that theoretically I could start the whole application process again today and as long as it went through fine, could have my provisional back before the time scale you are talking about.
She explained that I wouldn’t be able to do that as it would just complicate the situation - to which I replied I did realize that and was just trying to make a point :unamused:

So long story short - I thought the funding side was going to require lots of crossed fingers, with me jumping through all sorts of hoops and take god knows how much time - but, as it turns out, the moral of the story is to put as much focus on the things you think will happen without any problem and almost take for granted.
CHECK and re-CHECK your medical forms as much as you are able yourself before you send them away as the slightest thing can throw a spanner into your best laid plans.

Cheers,
Jon

2

Let me see if I understood you mate,

So while the rest of us scrimp and save to get our licenses from our hard earned money, you get it paid for by our taxes, then you have the cheek come on here and complain about having to wait 8 weeks… :unamused:

Or have I misunderstood something, and you have to pay the money back as a loan?

3

matkirk:
Let me see if I understood you mate,

So while the rest of us scrimp and save to get our licenses from our hard earned money, you get it paid for by our taxes, then you have the cheek come on here and complain about having to weight 8 weeks… :unamused:

Or have I misunderstood something, and you have to pay the money back as a loan?

Sounds about right.

4

matkirk:
Let me see if I understood you mate,

So while the rest of us scrimp and save to get our licenses from our hard earned money, you get it paid for by our taxes, then you have the cheek come on here and complain about having to weight 8 weeks… :unamused:

Or have I misunderstood something, and you have to pay the money back as a loan?

Yes, it seems you have misunderstood quite a lot.
The purpose of the post was

  1. informative - so people know that the current DVLA Medical wait is 8 weeks.
  2. helpful - trying to help others avoid running into delays when submitting their D4 (and what the potential consequences are).
  3. ‘entertainment’ - for those who enjoy reading a bit of yarn when its at someone else’s expense.
5

To be honest Crusher we deal with lots of medical issues each month. Most doctors shy away from the eyesight part but the only company we use driversmedicals.co.uk do it all at the same time for less than half what most doctors charge.

I do sympathise with you regarding your problem. Use the time to really prepare for the theory tests and the Mod2.

Also the weather will be better for your practical driving.

Your glass is half FULL

Good luck with the process

6

8 weeks is standard with medical issues so nowt new there

7

LGVTrainer:
To be honest Crusher we deal with lots of medical issues each month. Most doctors shy away from the eyesight part but the only company we use driversmedicals.co.uk do it all at the same time for less than half what most doctors charge.

I do sympathise with you regarding your problem. Use the time to really prepare for the theory tests and the Mod2.

Also the weather will be better for your practical driving.

Your glass is half FULL

Good luck with the process

Cheers for the pep-up.
And I didn’t mean for the post to sound like a whinge or complaint - it isn’t - maybe that’s just how I normally come across when I’m trying to be light-hearted :laughing:
I just hoped my experience might help remove a potential banana skin for someone else new to the process.
And anyways, I think most people would naturally be ‘excited’ at what’s ahead and want it to come round asap.

And btw yes… my theory revision dvd is getting a good workout in the meantime.

Jon

8

scotstrucker:
8 weeks is standard with medical issues so nowt new there

Ahh… being relatively new to the forums I wasn’t really aware of this as being common knowledge and hadn’t seen it mentioned since I’d been keeping an eye on posts.
Again, just wanted to mention it so someone wanting the info might see it.

I can imagine they have to deal with a whole complicated slew of issues down there, so it’s understandable how it can backlog so easily - my only real thing was that mine came about purely because of human error in the very first place and for such genuine mistakes it would be nice to have a way of dealing with them a bit quicker.

Jon

9

I started on the long road of hgv in OCTOBER and Im still waiting for my “bendy” training…It takes a long time to get you licence,That gives you time to research everything that you dont know…Try and learn the WTD and driving hours…that will keep you busy for a few weeks

10

matkirk:
… complain about having to weight 8 weeks…

That is a heavy statement :laughing:

11

Yes, a light hearted read.

But still considered an insult to most, including me :confused:

I’m a new starter as well, had to fork out for it - with the help of good old grandad, who had offered to help me for the 7 years I’ve been driving vans so far, but my pride got in the way of ambition, and it was a polite no thank you. But this year I caved and said yes, greatly appreciated. And now the medical is done and dusted, (doctors on wheels). So revision time while the forms are away. Anyway we’ve all had to wait it out, just one of them things.

Another sore point, my brother in law failed cat c practical, and now thinking of doing it all again through the jobcentre as an easy way out. Lose a bit of respect there, and the system is flawed in my opinion :unamused:

12

Dan Bear 87:
Yes, a light hearted read.

But still considered an insult to most, including me :confused:

I’m a new starter as well, had to fork out for it - with the help of good old grandad, who had offered to help me for the 7 years I’ve been driving vans so far, but my pride got in the way of ambition, and it was a polite no thank you. But this year I caved and said yes, greatly appreciated. And now the medical is done and dusted, (doctors on wheels). So revision time while the forms are away. Anyway we’ve all had to wait it out, just one of them things.

Another sore point, my brother in law failed cat c practical, and now thinking of doing it all again through the jobcentre as an easy way out. Lose a bit of respect there, and the system is flawed in my opinion :unamused:

When you talk about ‘waiting it out’, do you mean the 7yrs until you got round to taking up grandad’s help, or the time that your forms are away?

As for your brother-in-law, do you mean that he initially paid himself to go on a training course for Cat. C, but just missed out at practical test stage?
If so, why would he need to ‘do it all again’?
Surely he only really needs to sit the re-test of his practical?

Jon

13

Yeah 7 years before letting him help me fund it, kept declining as wanted to pay for it myself. But as you may understand, life gets in the way. And I wouldn’t wait 7 years for some forms to come back and nor would you. That makes 8 weeks sound like nothing lol :wink:

And brother in law failed practical test, clipped a roundabout with the back wheel apparently. Just meant having to re-do test thru job-centre, if he even bothers :angry:

Dan

14

Dan Bear 87:
Yeah 7 years before letting him help me fund it, kept declining as wanted to pay for it myself. But as you may understand, life gets in the way. And I wouldn’t wait 7 years for some forms to come back and nor would you. That makes 8 weeks sound like nothing lol :wink:

And brother in law failed practical test, clipped a roundabout with the back wheel apparently. Just meant having to re-do test thru job-centre, if he even bothers :angry:

Dan

Yes life certainly does get in the way.
However, the way you are talking suggests that you are somewhat kicking yourself now, for not taking up the offer that was out there for all those years. And from someone who probably knew more than you give him credit for at the time.
And athough, as in your OP, you may have considered that a matter of pride at a younger age, it sounds like as the years have ticked by, so your view has become more pragmatic.
In the same way, circumstances led me to where I am at this current time and I decided to look for and take help to allow me back into the working world as quickly as possible.

On the matter of your brother-in-law, are you telling me that you resent the fact the JC was able to help him pass his test? A test which would then give him entry to something he wanted to do as well as becoming a productive member of society.
I can’t see how that should ‘lose respect’. Unless you are saying you know more about his personal circumstances as to why he doesn’t deserve help – and if so, that’s a separate matter.

Jon

15

Crusher75:
are you telling me that you resent the fact the JC was able to help him pass his test? A test which would then give him entry to something he wanted to do as well as becoming a productive member of society.
I can’t see how that should ‘lose respect’. Unless you are saying you know more about his personal circumstances as to why he doesn’t deserve help – and if so, that’s a separate matter.

Jon

Why wouldn’t people resent hand outs from the JC to pay for a test that he and you could save for■■? and before you start with the old hardship stories nobody gives a toss, if you want something get off your lazy hole and work for it like the rest of us and stop bleeding the tax payer!!!

16

(if you want something get off your lazy hole and work for it like the rest of us and stop bleeding the tax payer!!!
[/quote]
Now we’re getting somewhere :wink:

Absolutely do not resent him for it, after all it’s his choice. And for the better society speech, he’s already said that he’s probably better off not working anyway, coz I’m now an uncle cue the benefits handout. U see where I’m going with this?

P.S

I might be getting a bit personal here, but it’s nothing against you at all.

Dan

17

Had the same problem… The forms went back and forth several times and the doctor was perplexed as to why they kept rejecting as there was no reason to reject it in the first place and there was no issues…

It is a stalling process because the department is not fit for purpose like a lot of other government departments. They keep rejecting it to reduce the length of the queues in official processing time figures…

18

This makes for an interesting read.

Reason I say this is I sent my forms off 20th Feb, they came back on 23rd due to the awful doctors on wheels GP having illegible handwriting which made my BP look like 198/94!? And I’d forgotten to send my old license in with the application. I received it back on 24th Feb, got an email from the GP, printed it & sent it all back in on 26th, I then received my new provisional license yesterday (2nd March) and the new license is stamped 27th Feb… Someone at DVLA is having you on I think!

19

Ive just had a nosy for the first time at this thread. Cant believe what I am reading. Are people suggesting that ive been doing crappy jobs for a few years,in order to achieve the £3000.00 I need to gain my class2 and hopefully next Tuesday class1,when all I needed to do was be on the dole??

I am contemplating a serious meltdown!! What the hell is happening to this country?

If anyone can give me some accurate info on this rather ‘annoying’ scenario,i would be very grateful.

20

Are people suggesting that ive been doing crappy jobs for a few years,in order to achieve the £3000.00 I need to gain my class2 and hopefully next Tuesday class1,when all I needed to do was be on the dole??

Yes mate, I’m sorry to tell you. It is true :angry:
If your out of work for more than six months you can apply for funding to pay for it!
Wether that be hgv training or whatever else, that’s roughly right anyway. Not too sure myself, ain’t been near a jobcentre in over 10 years, I’m 27.