COURT REPORT
Failed to Act Within Tachograph Timeframe A County Down operator has been convicted at Belfast magistrates’ court and fined a total of £500 plus a £15 offender levy. The conviction arose when DVA Enforcement Officers observed a 3 axle Scania articulated lorry in combination with a Muldoon tipper trailer. The vehicle was directed to the Department’s weighbridge for the purposes of an examination. Analysis of the driver’s digital smartcard showed that the tachograph card and the vehicle unit data had not been downloaded within the timeframe specified under EU regulations.
Operator Did Not Carry Out Regular Checks A County Tyrone haulage operator was convicted at Belfast magistrates’ court and fined a total of £400 plus a £15 offender levy. The conviction arose when DVA Enforcement Officers on duty in the Belfast area stopped a Volvo 4 axle tipper lorry. During an examination of the driver`s tachograph records examiners found that the operator had failed to request the drivers charts for regular checks in line with EU regulations.
Fined on Multiple Tachograph Charges A County Tyrone operator has been convicted at Omagh magistrates’ court and fined a total of £600 plus a £15 offender levy on tachograph charges. The conviction arose when DVA Enforcement Officers on duty in the Omagh area stopped a MAN 2 axle curtainside lorry for the purposes of an examination. Analysis of the digital tachograph card revealed that the tachograph card data had not been downloaded for 675 days and that the period for download of vehicle unit data had been missed by 585 days. Analysis also showed that there were three periods of vehicle driving where a card had not been used. EU regulations require operators to carry out regular checks of tachograph data. The Department’s records also showed that the vehicle had not been specified on an operator’s licence.
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Failed to Download Tacho Card A County Armagh Operator was convicted at Belfast magistrates’ court and fined a total of £625 plus a £15 offender levy after DVA Enforcement Officers stopped a 3 axle Scania articulated lorry in combination with a 3-axle trailer. An examination of the driver’s digital smartcard indicated that the card hadn’t been downloaded in 197 days, 169 days outside the 28-day requirement. Subsequent analysis of the vehicle tachograph data indicated that the vehicle unit had not been downloaded in 155 days, 65 days outside the 90-day requirement. In addition, the vehicle was not specified on the operator’s licence and on multiple occasions the driver drove without his driver’s card being inserted.
£3,000 Fine for Tachograph Offences A County Armagh Operator has been convicted at Newry magistrates’ court and fined a total of £3000 plus a £15 offender levy. The conviction arose when DVA Enforcement Officers stopped a 3-axle Scania articulated unit in combination with a 3-axle Gray and Adams trailer at the Harbour Highway, Larne. Analysis of the digital tachograph card revealed multiple daily driving period offences that were outside the scope of EU regulations and on two occasions the tachograph card was not inserted into the vehicle unit. It was also noted that the operator failed to attend an interview with the Department.
Banned from Driving for Three Months A County Londonderry haulage driver has been found guilty on a series of charges at Ballymena magistrates’ court and fined a total of £600 plus a £15 offender levy and disqualified from driving for three months. The conviction arose when DVA Enforcement Officers on duty in the Toome area stopped a Mercedes 2-axle van. A vehicle weight check identified that the van was overweight on its 1st axle by 120 Kgs (7.27%), overweight on its 2nd axle by 252 Kgs (11.2%) and overweight on its gross vehicle weight by 772kgs (22%). Further investigation revealed that the driver had no driving licence and was disqualified for a year and two months, thereby making his insurance null and void.
