Bunch quizzed for licence
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by Derren Hayes • An owner-driver had to face a public inquiry to win his 0-licence after he wrongly answered all 11 questions on drivers' and tachograph hours in a verbal quizzing by police.
But when asked similar questions on drivers' hours and tachograph rules at the inquiry in Great Dunmow Michael Bunch, of Braintree-based MJ Bunch got enough right to be granted a licence by Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Phillip Brown.
PC Alan Parsons of Essex Traffic Police, who lodged the complaint, told the inquiry that when he phoned Bunch and asked him the questions his answers showed he didn't have sufficient knowledge of the law.
Parsons said: "I asked him a number of questions to attain his knowledge and it was very poor on the tacho rules. He had signed his licence obligation to know the rules and abide by them which he obviously wasn't."
Essex police say verbal questioning of operator licence applicants has been introduced following fears that many didn't have good enough knowledge of basic transport laws.