The owner of heavy goods vehicles was fined more than €5,000 at Galway District Court this week for failing to have the proper carriers licence in place and failing to pay road tax.
Joan Lynch with an address at Turin, Kilmaine, Mayo, had been summoned to appear before Judge Mary Fahy last week, however, she failed to make an appearance.
The offences brought against the defendant include carrying out merchandise road transport business, namely allowing a vehicle to carry broken stone, without being authorised to do so by a Road Freight Carriers Licence and allowing another person to use a vehicle for which no excise duty had been paid, contrary to Section 9 of the Road Transport Act 1933.
The court heard that on May 24, 2008, at 8.40am gardai stopped a heavy goods vehicle at Tirellan, Headford Road, which had been carrying broken stone. On the same day another heavy goods vehicle, also carrying broken stone, had been stopped at Connolly Avenue, Galway. The drivers could not provide a carriers licence to gardai and it was discovered that the annual road tax, which costs €1,820 per annum for each vehicle, had not been paid.
“I am not impressed with the manner in which she has dealt with these matters,” said Judge Mary Fahy who then imposed a fine of €750 for each count of not having a carriers licence and €1,800 for each count of not having paid road tax.
