UK DRIVING LICENCE [ 2022 issue ]

Many moons ago when I gave up riding motorbikes and bought a van, I wrote to the Motor Tax shower to tell them that the bike was no longer being used, giving them full details regarding the van.

So far, so good !, I received a reply thanking me very much and saying that they would adjust their records.

Great ! until six months later, they wrote to ask why my bike had not been taxed ?

I wrote back explaining that I no longer used the bike, it was off the road as I had already explained six months before.

I then received a letter thanking me for the "update" and assuring me that they would adjust their records.

Fast forward another six months and I get yet another reminder that I have failed my bike !

This time, I wrote back to say that despite trying very hard and even with help from friends, I was unable to drive both the van and the bike at the same time, so I had decided to stay with the van and leave the bike where it had been for the past twelve months.

I heard no more ! I dont even try to understand these people anymore .

Did my medical (diabetic) license renewal a few weeks ago, also online. The replacement license arrived 5 days later. Three days after that, I got a letter saying that they'd keep me informed about the progress of my renewal.

Larry, I thought you had to S.O.R.N (statutory off road notification) any licenced vehicle if you took it "off of the road". Another way is to Export the vehicle.

Bob

Hint for Larry : **LINK**

https://www.gov.uk/sorn-statutory-off-road-notification

Play by their rules and it should all be O.K.

MichaelG.

Absolutely - don't try writing nicely to this bunch of morons, you'll get more sense communicating with my cat !

SORN is the way to go.

ps My wife actually received her driving licence a few weeks back - only took 11 Months after applying for renewal, and the intervention of our (very effective) M.P.

Happy days

Not necessarily, I've an idea Larry lives in Eire...

Dave

Might I suggest that any communication with useless departments like DVLA should be limited to a hard copy letter printed off your tablet and set with a certificate of posting. Leave a copy letter and certificate in vehicle to show police if stopped and carry on driving. In other words, you have proof of having done right and it's down to the DVLA to get their act together. I had a similar problem many years ago. I was a member of one of the larger breakdown organisations. Foolishly,as it turned out, I took out full comprehensive insurance via them. Cover note arrived. After around a month, I complained and new cover note arrived with a bullshit covering letter about how busy they were. I complained to the insurance company and got a similar response. This nonsense started in the spring and went on most of the summer. I said to wife I've paid a years premium so as they said, I was covered even on a cover note. I will continue driving even if the cover notes keep running out. Eventually, I wrote a sarcastic letter to the bosses of both businesses querying whether their repeated assurances that I was covered would still hold true if had a serious crash and the third party put in a claim for £X million? Told them they needed their heads bashed together and threatened to go to national newspaper. That Certificate arrived PDQ !

Never again will I use an org like that or any other agent collecting commission at my expense. Needless to say I ditched the pair of them at the earliest opportunity. Unfortunately we're all stuck with Swansea - nowhere else to go.

I should add to the above, that I keep copies of insurance certificate, MOT and certain other docs in car in case of collision or police stops, just in case. Not even had a breath test yet and it would be neg anyway.

RENEW, QUICK AND EASY, ON LINE ! If your 70 then it's time for a NEW licence Your licence WILL NOT be renewed ! You will LOOSE several categories. In fact you cant even use the forms they will send you, THERE WRONG !!!!

To renew your licence you will need form D2 and a medical report D4, a medical examination and eye test !

Last time round I did renew, medical £50 and eye test free. DO NOT go to your doctor, A) ti will take months and B) it will cost over £100. There are firms that run medicals for this purpose, check on line, the company I used was D for drivers! Good Luck Noel

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If so … why is he discussing such matters in a thread about U.K.

MichaelG.

Oops, I seem to have stirred-up a bit of a hornet's nest

One thing I didn't mention in this saga - about 6 months in I finally found a 'contact us' page on the DVLA web-site and sent a query as to WIHIH. Some time after that I received an email from the DVLA acknowledging receipt and issuing me a number (in the 60-thousands IIRC). There was no indication of what this number meant or what could be done with it, and I've still not found anywhere I can use it. The fact it was in the 60,000s suggests to me that more than 59,999 earlier complaints had been received, and all were being put into a large round virtual bin to await the digital recyclers...

Case in point in the paper today - Epileptic driver jailed for more than four years for killing toddler

[Bob] ..... 59,999 earlier complaints had been received.....

At least 99 of those were from my wife!

Edited By Mike Hurley on 30/09/2022 10:35:08

Sympathies to all afflicted by the ineptitude of DVLA but to resurrect the other example of HMG Civil Service's incompetence, I posted here in June (herewith truncated > "HMRC are as bad ...... first time I completed their questionnaire well over 2 years ago for agreement that annual tax returns now unnecessary....got standard "we aim to respond within 5 weeks". .....I keep reminding them every couple of months and get the exact same reply each time."
I now submit exactly the same data with monotonous regularity and receive exactly the same standard response but never an answer.

Mistress Truss will surely sort all this out

If Mr Phelan resides in the Irish Republic then the law is similar to the UK. If a vehicle is not being taxed as it is off road/no longer being used then a statutory notification to that effect is required. This is by, sending a form to their DVA, or on-line, or notifying the Garda. However, there is a slight difference in procedure. This notice MUST be made in the month before the tax actually runs out. Sending it after the expiry of the tax results in a charge equivalent to three months tax.

So that clears that up in principle, but what on earth has any of this to do with model making and/or engineering processes?

I try not to deal with anyone over the phone if I can. Snail mail or even email leaves a trail that they may find it hard to dispute further down the line.

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Very little indeed … That’s why it is a topic in “The Tea Room”

Why does this cause so much discomfort to some forum members ?

MichaelG.

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Edited By Michael Gilligan on 30/09/2022 11:45:09

Actually, the comments about SORN aren't 100% correct. My Triumph TSS was taken off the road before this SORN nonsense came in. It's still off the road and doesn't need SORN.

It might prove ‘interesting’ if you ever decide to put it back on the road, Mark

… Will DVLA recognise it as a vehicle ?

MichaelG.

I'm in the middle of trying to renew my licence. About to hit 70 but I'm a volunteer driver for our local community bus service, so need the minibus ticket which needs a medical. Fortunately, our local GP surgery will do this free for our volunteer drivers, so forms filled and sent in. Probably because of a previous condition, now no longer affecting me, I have just received a letter saying that they will contact my GP to confirm that he believes I am fit to drive.

Ignoring the fact that he has gone off work for 6 weeks due to a hip replacement (I assume that someone in the practice can answer), I'm confident that he will say yes - we discussed this at my medical and he had no reservations about me. So why not just put a question on the form asking the qualified medical person completing the form if they believe the subject fit to drive? Instead of me sending the form back, reviewing it, and then asking the question? Seems like a lot of unnecessary overhead and time-wasting doing it the current way!