Court Report May-June 22

£2,000 Fines on Tachograph Charges

A County Armagh operator was convicted at Ballymena Magistrates’ Court and fined a total of £2000 after DVA enforcement officers stopped a 2 axle Scania, in combination with a 3 axle trailer in the Larne area.  

During an examination of the vehicle an analysis of the tachograph unit highlighted a number of offences, namely five occasions of causing or permitting the driving of a vehicle without a valid digital tachograph card being used in the recording equipment; failing to download the vehicle tachograph unit within the timeframe as required under EU regulations missing the deadline by 69 days and the downloading of the digital driver’s card missing the deadline by 134 days. 

It was also established that the vehicle which was stopped was not specified on a Goods Vehicle Operators Licence. 

 

Fined for Tachograph and Licensing Offences

A County Londonderry operator was convicted at Coleraine Magistrates’ Court of a number of offences and fined a total of £2,150. 

The operator was found guilty of operating a vehicle not specified on a valid Goods Vehicle Operator Licence. The operator was also found guilty of failing to download the driver’s tachograph card and vehicle unit within the legislative timescales.  

Analysis of the tachograph data identified that the driver’s digital card had not been downloaded in 328 days, 300 days outside the 28 day EU Tachograph Limit and the download of the Vehicle Unit was 1025 days overdue.

The operator was also convicted of causing or permitting the driving of a vehicle without the driver using a tachograph card on 5 different occasions. The convictions arose when DVA Enforcement Officers examined a 4 axle tipper lorry in the Coleraine area.  

 

Missed Deadline for Tachograph Downloads

A County Antrim operator has been convicted at Belfast Magistrates’ Court and fined a total of £600 on tachograph charges. 

The conviction arose when DVA Enforcement Officers stopped a 2 axle articulated heavy goods vehicle in the Belfast area. During an examination of the vehicle an analysis of the tachograph unit and driver card took place. 

The operator was found guilty of failing to download the driver’s tachograph card within the legislative provisions. The operator was also found guilty of failing to download the vehicle unit within the 90 day deadline and had in fact missed the deadline by 1229 days. 

The operator also failed to have the vehicle unit calibrated correctly. The unit had missed its periodic inspection and the calibration date had expired.

 

Charged with Multiple Offences

A County Tyrone Haulage company has been convicted of 12 offences at Belfast Magistrates court on various charges and fined a total of £2,400.  

The convictions arose when DVA Enforcement Officers stopped a company vehicle and discovered the driver was in possession of and using two digital driver’s tachograph cards – one of which he was not the named holder. 

An in-depth investigation identified two operators acting as one despite having their own individual operator licences.  

The operator before the court was convicted of causing or permitting, on 3 occasions, the driving of a vehicle without the driver using a tachograph card; 4 occasions of permitting a driver to drive in excess of four and a half hours without taking a break; 1 occasion of permitting a driver to exceed the maximum driving time in a fortnight; 3 occasions were the operator failed to produce tachograph data on request and 1 occasion of failing to produce records.