

One of Northern Ireland's best-known haulage firms McCulla (Ireland) has been fined £200 in relation to drivers' hours offences.
In a prosecution brought by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) at Omagh Magistrates’ Court , the Lisburn, Co Antrim-based company was fined £100 each for two daily rest offences.
In June 2012 DVA enforcement officers stopped an articulated truck on the Great Northern Road in Omagh to conduct a compliance spot check.
Officers asked the driver of the vehicle to produce tachograph driving records and when they examined these, they discovered two infringements relating to daily rest periods.
The charges were brought under the Passenger and Goods Vehicles (Recording Equipment) Regulations (NI) 1996 and the Road Traffic (NI) Order 1981.
Meanwhile, in a case at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court, Total Freight, based in Clontycarty Lane, Tynan, Co Armagh, was fined £2,500 for failing to produce tachograph and drivers’ hours records.
DVA enforcement officers conducted an investigation into twenty vehicles being operated by the haulier.
During the course of the probe, officials sent several letters to the company requesting that tachograph records be handed over for analysis -however no records were produced.
A company representative failed to be formally interviewed about the matter which resulted in the case being prepared for consideration by the Public Prosecution Service.
Total Freight was convicted on one specimen charge under the Passenger and Goods Vehicles (Recording Equipment) Regulations (NI) 1996 and the Road Traffic (NI) Order 1981 of failing to produce tachograph records relating to the twenty vehicles.