Exceeding hours costs drivers £415
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• Tachograph offences cost two Irish lorry drivers a total of £415 in fines and costs when they pleaded guilty to a number of drivers hours and records offences before the Leigh, Lancs., magistrates.
Raymond Farren, of Greenisland, Co Antrim, admitted one 41/2-hour driving offence and one offence of failing to keep a tachograph record.
Prosecuting, Beverley Cullen said that a Mercedes artic being driven by Farren was stopped by police on the East Lancashire Road at 15:20hrs on 23 February.
An examination of Farren's tachograph chart for that day appeared to show that the vehicle had been stationary since 15:14hrs. The police officer discovered that there was no fuse in the tachograph system, which prevented the distance and speed traces from recording. Farren produced the fuse from his pocket.
Cullen told the court that the chart showed Farren had driven for 4hr 46min without a break before the fuse was removed.
For Farren, John Backhouse said he was employed by General Trading Services of Carrickfergus. When stopped, Farren had come clean. The amount of driving he had done that day was not excessive at that time.
The magistrates fined Farren £100 for failing to keep a tacho graph record and another £75 for the 41/2-hour driving offence with £45 costs.
Larry Bradley, of Beechland Drive, Portglenone, Co Antrim, admitted one offence of taking insufficient daily rest and one offence of exceeding 41/2-hourdriving without the required 45-minute break.
Cullen said that in February an artic being driven by Bradley was stopped by police on the East Lancashire Road at Leigh. Bradley's charts dated 21 January showed he had only taken 5hr 55min rest. An examination of the chart dated 27 January showed that he had driven for 5hr 45min without taking a break.
For Bradley, Backhouse said he had been employed by James Donnelly & Sons of Co Antrim, but had lost his job as a result of these offences.
The overall pattern of work was not excessive but Bradley had got it wrong in the way that he spaced it out. The magistrates fined Bradley £75 for each offence with £45 costs.