IIH, I do appreciate all of your help, and the advice from the others as well.
But let me explain the way things work with an HGV Licence. It is normal to go before a Magistrate for any drivers hours offence. In some ways that is the easy bit because it will be a fine and it will end there. The problem is going before the Traffic Commisionair afterwards when you are cross questions as to why you put yourself and your licence into disrepute and risked your 'Professional' status. They have the powers to suspend your HGV licence usually for 4 weeks plus, and this comes on top of the fine and means no wages for a month or more.
This is why we're a little prickly about not being considered as professionals but the people who grant our licence certainly do consider us to be that.
The sole reason that he doesn't want to have a soliciter is that he can't afford to. It's not been a good year, we've all taken a pay cut to help the firm keep going and he's getting close to retirement.
But still, what he did wasn't for gain, where a great many lorry drivers are doing just that. I feel passionately that this needs saying in Court and explaining that despite his tachographs being inspected in depth, over the busiest time of the year, in atrocious weather, no other offences were found.
Would a letter to the Court from me, explaining this be read? Would it help?
Could I make the point that I'm in court and available for questions?
Had this been 3 cases or less it would have been dealt with by a GFP, but I suspect they fully expected to find far more on futher investigation than they have done.
I have to help him somehow, and I'll find a way.
Pat
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