Drivers are given a second chance
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• West Midland Licensing AuthorityJohn Mervyn Pugh, has confirmed that it is his policy to be lenient with HGV drivers when they first appear before him at a public inquiry, on the understanding that any further conviction will put their HGV driving licence at risk.
He was speaking to nearly 60 drivers appearing before him at a Birmingham public inquiry last week, all of whom had been convicted on a number of different offences.
Mervyn Pugh said his job was to discipline and control drivers in the name of road safety. The good news was that the drivers before him were going to get the second chance they were asking for, but the bad news was that if they went out and committted another offence, their licenses would be revoked.
"My policy is supported by employers, trade unions, and the drivers themselves," said Mervyn Pugh. He told the drivers that he had seen over 3,000 drivers over the past 18 months, and only two had let him down.
Both had commited speeding offences, and both had had their HGV licences suspended.