Different rules in Ulster
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• Hauliers in Northern Ireland are joining forces with the Freight Transport Association in a campaign to be treated the same as other UK hauliers by courts issuing fixed-penalty fines and points for speeding offences. Clifford Connolly of Ulster-based Connolly Transport says one of his drivers was caught speeding before Christmas; he received a fixed-penalty fine and three points on his licence. The driver duly sent the payment and his licence to Hull Magistrates Court.
"We received a letter from the clerk there saying because of the format and layout of the licence the points could not be added," says Connolly. "We were told we would have to go back to court, which is another day of costs for us."
Connolly says he simply wants Northern Irish hauliers to be treated the same way as their British counterparts. He has written to the FTA asking for support in pressing for a change.
Heather Crocker, regional officer at the FTA's Leeds office, says: "We have heard of a number of these cases. Only holders of DVLA licences can make use of the penalty system." She adds that Bob Armstrong, regional director of Scotland and Northern Ireland, plans to campaign for a common system. In the meantime Crocker advises members caught in a similar position to write to the court concerned and "advise them of the discrepancy".