So after having my HGV class 1 and 2 entitlement taken off me by the fine upstanding people at the DVLA I went for my field test appointment yesterday at the Royal Hallamshire hospital in Sheffield and a thorough eye test to get the EXPERTS opinion and answer to see if I’m within the legal requirements to hold my class 1 and 2.
First up the field test(which is the wider test they use for the DVLA) and guess what… Out of 120 dots of light I missed 1! And also it was not in the 70 degree range they use to class it as a fail 
Then my consultant did my eye test and said he doesn’t have to see me again 
another result. I showed him the letter the DVLA sent me and he has told me to fight them all the way and he will write them a letter saying I am fit to drive an HGV and also supply them with the results.
I would love to know my results from the first test I did, I even would go to say I probably passed that one too! 
He did say I could have had an off day the first time I did it which could be true but what gets me is if you miss 1 dot out of 120 and falls within the range, it’s good bye to your HGV career but if you miss more than 1 and it falls out of the range you are fine! What a load of cobblers!
So now it’s a letter of to the DVLA to inform them I’m appealing my class 1 and 2 being taken away, also get in touch with my union and prepare for the long road ahead! 
I hope that you win your fight with beurocracy.
Best of luck with this mate.
Preumably this can be escalated higher still if they won’t play ball.
There was a machinery dealer down here that used to drive a wagon n drag, he had a glass eye 
Juddian:
Best of luck with this mate.Preumably this can be escalated higher still if they won’t play ball.
don’t worry mate I will fight them as far as I have to.
All the best with this Steve life is hard enough without having ROUGH JUSTICE like this thrown at you. Eddie.
Just send your eye test results off to the DVLA with an accompanying letter requesting the reinstatement of your HGV licence immediately. That should be sufficient
and don’t forget as an equal opportunities employer I expect the Government employee dealing with your case probably didn’t speak or understand English.
Armagedon:
Just send your eye test results off to the DVLA with an accompanying letter requesting the reinstatement of your HGV licence immediately. That should be sufficient
and don’t forget as an equal opportunities employer I expect the Government employee dealing with your case probably didn’t speak or understand English.
And probably has only about 6 months experience too
Armagedon:
don’t forget as an equal opportunities employer I expect the Government employee dealing with your case probably didn’t speak or understand English.
Although there is probably a highly subsidised workplace scheme to teach them Welsh.
Nothing these useless buggers employed by government offices do would surprise me.
When I needed a medical I got one, sent it off & heard nothing for 2 months they denied ever having it. I proved it had been sent off and they eventually sent a new form, I now get them a year after I should, age 51 instead of 50 etc.
Recently had the hmrc playing silly buggers. First it was a letter saying I had underpaid tax, next day a letter with a tax rebate! Started a new job and my code went down, when I queried it the chap said they had taken tax for a full year from the job I left coupled with a full year from the new job and so I’d been put ih the higher tax bracket. He got a bit miffed when I called them incompetent.
Slackbladder:
Nothing these useless buggers employed by government offices do would surprise me.
When I needed a medical I got one, sent it off & heard nothing for 2 months they denied ever having it. I proved it had been sent off and they eventually sent a new form, I now get them a year after I should, age 51 instead of 50 etc.
Recently had the hmrc playing silly buggers. First it was a letter saying I had underpaid tax, next day a letter with a tax rebate! Started a new job and my code went down, when I queried it the chap said they had taken tax for a full year from the job I left coupled with a full year from the new job and so I’d been put ih the higher tax bracket. He got a bit miffed when I called them incompetent.
Can’t think why you’d call them that… a few other things maybe.
got my letter off my consultant a week last Thursday to send to the DVLA in it he wrote that he was shocked that I had my entitlement taken away from me and he would like to know on what grounds as I had passed my tests every time I went for check ups and also passed my field test which I had 2 week ago. He says he supports me all the way with my appeal and he supplied me with the test results from the field test to send to the DVLA.
I sent it recorded delivery last Monday and rang the DVLA on Wednesday to see if they had recived it. The woman on the other end of the phone told me it can take upto 6 WEEK to go through their system! what a ■■■■■■■ joke. I can see this being a long drawn out process with these ■■■■■■ but then again I guess they don’t care my wages are down about £600 a month. Definatly going to see if I can claim for loss of earnings when everything gets sorted.
Try getting your local MP involved, he may put some pressure on to cut through the red tape.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
got my letter off my consultant a week last Thursday to send to the DVLA in it he wrote that he was shocked that I had my entitlement taken away from me and he would like to know on what grounds as I had passed my tests every time I went for check ups and also passed my field test which I had 2 week ago. He says he supports me all the way with my appeal and he supplied me with the test results from the field test to send to the DVLA.
I sent it recorded delivery last Monday and rang the DVLA on Wednesday to see if they had recived it. The woman on the other end of the phone told me it can take upto 6 WEEK to go through their system!
Hiya Steve. i needed to change my private number plate over a couple of weeks ago, i go to the licence place in Chester,
the lady said no chance we close down on the 14th of December and we have a huge backlog of work to do.
she told us to ring the DVLA at Swansea, when we phone Swansea the lady said the paper work would be back in a week,
thats when i can change the plate over, she said it may be 2 months before i get the log book back, she said we have a huge backlog of work to get through hear the small offices have swamped us with work…thats a good idea to close all the small offices when the main place can’t cope.Maybe that will be sent to India along with everything else.
Good luck mate. John
I hope when you get it all sorted you do carry on to get the money back you have lost and then a bit more for the stress of it all
puntabrava:
There was a machinery dealer down here that used to drive a wagon n drag, he had a glass eye
Totally legal, and still is, well depending on when you passed your test.
In fact my eye sight is worse than Steve’s, and I have no problem passing the eye test, but I’m not required to pass the current eye test, and I don’t have to have wear glasses to drive!
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
got my letter off my consultant a week last Thursday to send to the DVLA in it he wrote that he was shocked that I had my entitlement taken away from me and he would like to know on what grounds as I had passed my tests every time I went for check ups and also passed my field test which I had 2 week ago. He says he supports me all the way with my appeal and he supplied me with the test results from the field test to send to the DVLA.
I sent it recorded delivery last Monday and rang the DVLA on Wednesday to see if they had recived it. The woman on the other end of the phone told me it can take upto 6 WEEK to go through their system!
Steve, can I ask, have you at any point after DVLA unkindly revoked your licence, contacted your local traffic commissioners office?
No I haven’t mate. You reckon I should?
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
No I haven’t mate. You reckon I should?
Yes, since they are the ones that have the ultimate say in who can and who can’t have/keep their licence, I am sure they will put you straight.
They should also tell you the proper procedure to appeal.
DVLA don’t make the rules, they just administer them.
I think you will still have to make a final appeal to the DVLA, then if they still refuse, it’s no messing, the next port of call is the magistrates court with them.
A judge has the power to reinstate entitlement, based on evidence, and circumstances, a judge can also over rule the wishes of a traffic commissioner.
http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/Documents/Driving_and_sight_loss_factsheet.doc
Have a read of this, it’s not directly aimed at HGV drivers, but it does outline the same steps to try to get your licence back.