Wtf is this all about

[davecsm]

This is a bit of a long story but I’ll try to keep it as short as possible.

In July last year I was a naughty boy, got pulled by the police and they found four hours offences on my tacho, and one of improper use of the tacho. They hours offences were all under an hour and I got £50 on each, the improper use of the tacho was were I forgot to pull the chart out one night and left it on other work overnight.

In July this year my licence ran out and I booked a medical and failed on blood pressure - it took me two months to get bp down and I booked another medical and passed. Sent all the gumf off to Swansea.

Get in tonight and I find this letter from the Office of the Traffic Commissioner

Dear Mr D

Road Traffic Act 1988

I am writing to you regardng information we have received for offences on excess hours and improper use of tachograph records, for which you were convicted at Haverfordwest Courts and fined £400

In order to proceed with your application to renew your LGV driving entitlements I should be grateful if you would provide a written explanation to the circumstances surrounding the above offences and provide the following information

The name and full postal address of the company you may have been driving for at the time of the offence
The date of the offence
Court costs

Your comments and the information requested should be sent to this office within 14 days of the date of this letter.

Yours sincerely

FA (not being rude, that’s her initials)
Driver conduct section

Should I be worried cos I am- I have been doing a mop and bucket job since coming off the road and can’t wait to get behind the wheel again. Will they say that you’ve been done for five offences, how many more have you done? Very few, and sod all since the offence to be truthful. What are they looking for? When I was charged with the offences I put my hands up, pleaded guilty and let the court deal with it - should I do the same here or give reasons - eg, one offence I was held up in the queue for Crufts dog show.

Anyway, any advice or comments you can give will be appreciated.

[rob_k]

Interesting. Never heard of that happening to anyone before, myself.

In your position I would tell DVLA that the company you were working for at the time has since gone under, tell them the reason you’ve told us re the improper tacho use and make up some bull about misjudging the amount of traffic etc re the exceeded hours - you know, perishable load… secure parking… big accident… etc etc.

Cheers.

[simon]

Rob K:
Interesting. Never heard of that happening to anyone before, myself.

In your position I would tell DVLA that the company you were working for at the time has since gone under, tell them the reason you’ve told us re the improper tacho use and make up some bull about misjudging the amount of traffic etc re the exceeded hours - you know, perishable load… secure parking… big accident… etc etc.

Cheers.

Of course it doesn’t need to be “Bull”. You could tell them the truth, about misjudging the amount of traffic etc . I expect it would be a good idea if what you tell them is much the same as what you said in your defence when your case was heard.

[rob_k]

Simon:

Rob K:
Interesting. Never heard of that happening to anyone before, myself.

In your position I would tell DVLA that the company you were working for at the time has since gone under, tell them the reason you’ve told us re the improper tacho use and make up some bull about misjudging the amount of traffic etc re the exceeded hours - you know, perishable load… secure parking… big accident… etc etc.

Cheers.

Of course it doesn’t need to be “Bull”. You could tell them the truth, about misjudging the amount of traffic etc . I expect it would be a good idea if what you tell them is much the same as what you said in your defence when your case was heard.

Thinking about it, agreed.

Cheers.

[daxi]

Anyone who holds an HGV or PSV is answerable to the TC, in the same way the operators are.
Are you a member of a union ?. if so get some legal support.
Give the information required, i.e they have gone bust & a letter explaining you made a mistake, it was a lesson hard learnt, (BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU MEAN IT.)
Consider booking yourself onto a Hours Law course & tell him if this is the case, (BUT MEAN IT.)
Should you be worried . YES, He could stop you getting your occupational licence back.
Be careful what you write & remember he ask you to come before him & prove it before he gives you your licence back.
Lastly good luck, what happend to you was the result of driver training cocentrating on Licence gaining, HIAB, ADR etc. etc.

[dratsabasti]

You could also buy an Hours Guard and tell them that.
I know I have been naughty in the past with mode changes and so on, but the hours guard has changed that for me.

[coffeeholic]

Dratsabasti:
You could also buy an Hours Guard and tell them that.

Now that is a very good idea, it is a known fact that traffic examiners like to see drivers using an Hours Guard so it would go a long way to showing the TC that you are doing your best not to make the same mistakes again.

[krankee]

You could also ask them to send you a copy of their Drivers Hours Guide, GV 262.

[wheel_nut]

You are supposed to contact the Traffic Commisionar if you are done for any hours or overloading offence, although they will still get to hear of it like in your case.

They are mostly jumped up failed army officers who got a cushy number after leaving the army.

But dont tell them I said that

I think the hour guard idea is probably your best bet too, or a Tachtrack

[ohterry]

talk about double standards, wtf, a couple a months ago you would have been pillored and executed on these forums for admitting your offences on here… get him off the road , people like this should not be on the road…was the cry not so long ago…
gis a bag of crisps

had it happened to me though i would definatly enroll on a tacho course of some kind, along with the hour gaurd, it will show the tc that you are conciously trying to better youself in terms of tacho laws etc etc…
for what its worth GOOD LUCK… …

[wheel_nut]

Oh Terry!

Hardly the same, why try to make something out of it?

The post said 4 offences and a fifty quid fine is about the minimum you will get for any tacho offence.

four hours offences on my tacho, and one of improper use of the tacho. They hours offences were all under an hour and I got £50 on each, the improper use of the tacho was were I forgot to pull the chart out one night and left it on other work overnight.

[bully]

ohterry555:
talk about double standards, [zb], a couple a months ago you would have been pillored and executed on these forums for admitting your offences on here… get him off the road , people like this should not be on the road…was the cry not so long ago…
gis a bag of crisps

had it happened to me though i would definatly enroll on a tacho course of some kind, along with the hour gaurd, it will show the tc that you are conciously trying to better youself in terms of tacho laws etc etc…
for what its worth GOOD LUCK… …

Most drivers don’t admit there offences…because they dont/didnt realizes they had committed an offence in the first place…In most case’s it’s all down to lack of education within the industry.

Bully

[ohterry]

Wheel Nut:
Oh Terry!

Hardly the same, why try to make something out of it?

The post said 4 offences and a fifty quid fine is about the minimum you will get for any tacho offence.

four hours offences on my tacho, and one of improper use of the tacho. They hours offences were all under an hour and I got £50 on each, the improper use of the tacho was were I forgot to pull the chart out one night and left it on other work overnight.

why try and make something out of it?
passing on my thoughts on the topic, same as you.

[rob_k]

ohterry555:

Wheel Nut:
Oh Terry!

Hardly the same, why try to make something out of it?

The post said 4 offences and a fifty quid fine is about the minimum you will get for any tacho offence.

four hours offences on my tacho, and one of improper use of the tacho. They hours offences were all under an hour and I got £50 on each, the improper use of the tacho was were I forgot to pull the chart out one night and left it on other work overnight.

why try and make something out of it?
passing on my thoughts on the topic, same as you.

As this was clearly directed at me , like Malc said, it was a completely different scenario. Accidentally[/b] going over your hours for a small amount of time is a completely different thing to deliberately[/b] driving for a further 3.5 hours[/b] after your driving time was up so put your wooden spoon away before I nick it and add it to my own collection
Cheers.

[ohterry]

it wasnt directed at any one robert i had no one particular person in mind when i posted. surely your not wallowing in self importance here are you…
it was an observation simple as that. like i said only a couple of weeks ago the lad would have been hung drawn and qaurtered, my observations, not stiring nix. if you bothered to read all my post and not the controversial bits you would indeed see that i did wish the lad GOOD LUCK…instead of you all getting on the defensive when i post either shut up or put up.these forums are for truckers to vent there views and thoughts i am a truck driver and i am venting my thoughts simple aint it…

[rob_k]

ohterry555:
it wasnt directed at any one robert i had no one particular person in mind when i posted. surely your not wallowing in self importance here are you…
it was an observation simple as that. like i said only a couple of weeks ago the lad would have been hung drawn and qaurtered, my observations, not stiring nix. if you bothered to read all my post and not the controversial bits you would indeed see that i did wish the lad GOOD LUCK…instead of you all getting on the defensive when i post either shut up or put up.these forums are for truckers to vent there views and thoughts i am a truck driver and i am venting my thoughts simple aint it…

Fair enough Terry but I wasn’t born yesterday. The thread you are referring to was the one where I was the only one who jumped on my soap box about him exceeding the hours and should be reprimanded accordingly so even a 6 month old child could figure out that your recent post on this thread was directed at me so I am quite rightly defending myself and refreshing your memory that the case in this thread is in no way comparitive to the one by Placidcasual some weeks back, as Malc has already pointed out.

[zb]

Cheers.

Edited , for pesonal attack Rikki

[ohterry]

ive pm,d you robert. as your way off… I SAY YOU WAY OFF

[jonah_1]

I’m surprised you only have to write in

When I had a ban I had to go and meet the TC in London (since moved to Eastbourne) and it is down to his/her opinion as to whether you are a fit person to hold the licence.

[wheel_nut]

north surrey haulage:
I’m surprised you only have to write in

When I had a ban I had to go and meet the TC in London (since moved to Eastbourne) and it is down to his/her opinion as to whether you are a fit person to hold the licence.

The same thing happens up here, NSH.

I had to visit Harehills House for a retired colonel to read me the riot act and he gave me an extra 3 month ban, after been convicted by a magistrates court.

In court I felt like Norman Stanley Fletcher, but in front of the TC he makes you feel like a naughty schoolboy!

It is totally wrong that you have to be punished twice where an ordinary licence holder only has one punishment.

[truckyboy]

write very politely that because of ZB like them they are adding to the shortages of drivers in this industry…and very…very…politely tell them to keep the licence, and you will claim unemployment money for the rest of your natural and blame it on an unexpected occupational hazard…the ZB`s took my licence away !!..or you could tell them the truth…
have a nice day