Q am employed as a workshop
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supervisor with a plant hire and haulage firm. Our fleet consists mainly of class 3 vehicles, only one class 1 vehicle and recently we have put into service some six-wheelers.
In our workshop we employ a number of mechanics who up until now have been granted class 3 hgv licences by our transport manager which I think was in order as they were test driving on most days of the qualifying period in 1969-70.
The transport manager now wishes to give the remaining mechanics class 1 hgv licences but say this is out of order as we only had one class 1 vehicle in the period 1969-70. He says he is looking to the future as they propose adding more class 1 and 2 vehicles to replace the class 3s.
I say he is breaking the law and is liable to prosecution and if found out the mechanics" licences may be revoked. What are your views on this subject ? A It would be quite wrong for your trans
port manager to certify on section DLG 1 B of the hgv driving licence application form that drivers had been driving vehicles of a certain class in the 1969-70 qualifying period if they had not done so. The -form contains a warning to the effect that "if a person for the purpose of obtaining the grant of a licence to himself or any other person knowingly makes any false statement, he becomes liable to a fine of £100 or to imprisonment for a term of four months or to both such fine and imprisonment".
The drivers concerned would be liable to lose their licences and be subject to other penalties if it was found subsequently that they obtained them falsely. The Licensing Authorities have means of checking whether it was likely that a driver gained the experience certified on the form.