French jail driver and impound truck
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• An Irish haulier is planning to appeal against his truck being permanently confiscated in France after one of his drivers was imprisoned.
The driver's offence was ignoring a weight restriction last weekend. The driver says he couldn't turn round.
Donal Heffernan, who operates two trucks from Limerick, has been told the truck can be sold after three months. It is worth about £80,000.
He flew to France on Monday (8 August) to attend the StEtienne's magistrates court hearing for Aiden Cauldwell, his driver. Cauldwell was released, but magistrates chose to impound the lorry permanently.
When Cauldwell was arrested he had spotted the weight restriction but it was too diffi
cult for him to turn round, says the Irish Road Haulage Association, which is representing him. He was heading for Cherbourg from Avignon when he found the A7 was heavily congested, says the vice president Jimmy Quinn.
Cauldwell decided to take the N86 across country. He was arrested, imprisoned and his lorry was impounded.