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a 'IY1 I• II I' I• al I.

28th August 2008, Page 13
28th August 2008
Page 13
Page 13, 28th August 2008 — a 'IY1 I• II I' I• al I.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Every year on 17 September my medically restricted LGV licence runs out. Six weeks beforehand, our friends at the Drivers' Medical Group in Swansea are supposed to send me the form to renew With the benefit of past experience, I rang the DVLA the week before to remind them. "It's due to be sent on Thursday," was the reply. A week later it hadn't appeared — a non-event so predictable I had set a reminder on my phone to ring them.

This time the adviser said she'd put them in the post herself that day. She did and the wrong forms duly arrived last week, along with the late computer-generated form. Being a veteran of this farce, I've filled them all in and stuck them in the same envelope, along with a note of explanation. I've also set another reminder for a week's time.

Last year, when I first had my licence restricted, the Drivers' Medical Group needed three months to decide what to do, during which time I was allowed to continue driving. When the three months were nearly up I asked whether they were going to get moving. The answer was: "Oh no, it'll likely take three months again. Ring us a week before and we'll send you a covering letter so you can still drive." It's only 44 tonnes of potential killing machine I'm possibly unable to control, after all.

But at the same time they are whipping other drivers' categories away without a second thought. Like the poor soul whose case can be read in Truck & Driver this month who has been banned for 10 years for taking anti-seizure meds despite never having had a blackout.

Or the friend who has been refused her provisional categories due to blackouts, which the DVLA's own doctors have dismissed as being stress-induced and no bar to relicensing.

"Drivers of HGVs are subject to stringent health standards," a spokeswoman says. Just remember when you have filled in your forms to ring the non-premium rate phoneline on 01792 799080 to make sure they have got there.

You never know, it might just save your livelihood.

Tags

Organisations: Drivers of HGVs

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