Tractor Trailer Court Case

A Tipperary farmer has been disqualified from driving for a minimum of two years for an incident involving a tractor and trailer. 

Damien Cahalane of Ballyluskey, Ardcroney, Nenagh, was fined €750 and disqualified from driving for the minimum mandatory period of two years at Castlebar District Court this week in a case involving a tractor and trailer. He had been charged with a number of offences after he was stopped by Garda Michael Mullaney when driving a John Deere tractor pulling a curtain side, three-axle converted trailer on the N17 at Ballindine West in June 2015 after supplying straw bales to farmers attending Balla Mart.

In delivering her judgement on Tuesday of this week, and after hearing the case in April of this year, Judge Mary Devins said that there were several components in relation to the case. These included that Damien Cahalane was driving a tractor and a very long semi-trailer on the hard shoulder of a primary road, that he had a modified towbar connecting the trailer on the tractor, that he had no certificates or independent evidence as to the safety or suitability of the modified towbar, that there was defective tyres on the trailer, that he failed to carry an advance warning device and, finally, that he failed to have an authorisation plate on the semi-trailer.

Sufficient evidence

In delivering her judgement on the case, Judge Devins said that since there appears to be some degree of confusion or at least a lack of clarification as to whether the tractor/trailer are commercial or agricultural, she was striking out the summons in relation to the tachograph, the vehicle driving licence and the certificate of roadworthiness, which for many farmers and contractors were the substantive issues around the case. She said that she was taking into consideration the remaining summons and that she was quite satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to convict Mr Cahalane in relation to dangerous driving.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal after the case, Damien Cahalane said that he was examining the opportunity to appeal the court decision, which effectively prevented him from carrying out his business of producing and selling hay and straw bales to farmers across the western region.