Haulage company fined €1,250 for using Northern-registered gravel truck

A haulage company has been fined €1,250 for charges relating to the operation of a Northern Ireland registered truck in Donegal.

McGrane Haulage, 32 East Bridge Street, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh was before Donegal District Court on Monday. The company is charged with two counts of exceeding cabotage operations (loads) permitted by EU regulations. 

The offences took place on October 29 and 30, 2019 at Dunkineely. There was a further charge related to failing to enable the driver to produce clear evidence of incoming international carriage for inspection.

RSA Officer Declan Tiblin gave evidence of conducting a checkpoint with gardaí on the N56 at Dunkineely. He stopped a four-axle tipper gravel truck belonging to McGrane Haulage in Northern Ireland.

The driver, who was from Ballyshannon confirmed that he was hauling stone from Killybegs to roadworks in Inver. Had been doing so for several weeks, and was on his fourth load of the day. 

Documents produced on request showed that on a number of days prior to the detection, he had transported between six and ten loads.

The driver told the officer that he had been working for the company for six years and he had been the main driver of the truck for the previous two years. He wasn’t aware of the truck being brought to Northern Ireland during that time. 

The regulations on cabotage for vehicles registered outside the EU state that no more than three loads can be carried in seven days.

Solicitor Francis Gillespie explained that the McGrane family operated a haulage business in south Donegal and were important employers in the area. They had set up the Northern Ireland company and registered a truck in the hope of securing a contract once work began on the A5 road. That project never came to pass.

“The company in Northern Ireland to all intents and purposes is not trading,” said Mr Gillespie.

He acknowledged that the truck should have been re-registered for use in the Republic of Ireland.

Judge Sandra Murphy asked what was the current status of the truck. 

Mr Gillespie said: “Due to Covid restrictions my client’s business was at a standstill for almost two years. Work became very limited. 

“My client disposed of a number of vehicles including this one which was sent to Africa.”

State solicitor Kieran Dillon told the court that the maximum fine on each of the three charges was €5,000.

Judge Murphy imposed two fines of €500 each for the cabotage offences, and a €250 fine for the remaining offence.