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'Hardship' plea averts driving ban for haulier
Page 16
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Haulier escapes ban, despite picking up 12 penalty points because he was facing 'undue hardship' if he could not work. Peter Swingier reports.
A 66-YEAR-OLD haulier from Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, with 12 penalty points on his driving licence escaped disqualification after West Bromwich Magistrates were told a ban would affect his business and cause hardship.
Ronald Thomas Armstrong, of Westway, Uttoxeter, who runs Armstrong Transport, admitted having no 0-licence, no HGV licence and driving a truck which was subject to a prohibition.
He was given a conditional discharge for 18 months as well as three endorsement points, taking his total to 12, and was ordered to pay £148 costs.
Armstrong has previous convictions for having no 0licence and driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition. Rob Lees, prosecuting for Vosa, said the offences were discovered after a truck driven by Armstrong had been stopped near Birmingham.
Armstrong said he had forgotten to renew his HGV licence and would face great hardship if he was banned from driving. He said his business would also suffer.
Lees said that because of his age. Armstrong needed to take a medical test every five years to renew his HGV licence.
One of the magistrates told Armstrong: "Normally you would have been disqualified for six months. But although you now have 12 penalty points, we are not going to disqualify you on the grounds that it would cause exceptional hardship."