Thousands of HGV drivers given bogus medical tests in the back of vans

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. Thousands of HGV drivers given bogus medical tests in the back of vans12 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleWill Fyfe ,Wales News ImpactandLucy Vladev , Wales, Swansea Crown Court Secret footage caught people given bogus medical tests for their HGV licence applicationsThousands of HGV drivers are thought to have received bogus medical tests done in lay-bys and motorway service stations while attempting to renew their license. Doctors on Wheels promised "cheap medicals" by "fully licensed doctors" but was found to have unqualified staff signing people off as fit to drive lorries, buses and taxis – with consultations lasting minutes in the back of vans across the UK. In the worst cases, trading standards investigators said one driver was given a "full pass" despite being "profoundly deaf" while another was "recorded as having perfect vision" despite having a glass eye.

Company director Andrew Eburne was convicted of fraud and given a four-year sentence. His defence lawyer told Swansea Crown Court that Andrew Eburne fully accepted that he has brought his sentence on himselfJudge Huw Rees said the 51-year-old had "put profit before safety" as he played "a leading role" in "business dealings served to compromise public safety". Trading Standards said Doctors on Wheels promised to do the tests for "just under £60", undercutting its competitors.

The Details

Three undercover investigators posing as wannabe lorry drivers turned up for medical tests, booked online and scheduled for the same time at three different locations across the UK in 2019. They entered Doctors on Wheels vans in Swindon, Huddersfield and Leicester, where a member of staff in each conducted an eye test, blood pressure test and medical questionnaire with them. But when they looked at their completed medical forms – each stated the person they'd just met in the van was the same doctor.

It appeared to confirm what the DVLA had suspected, that the Leicester-based firm was using a stamp - with a doctor's signature printed on it - to fraudulently process dozens of medical tests a day. Covert recordings, taken by trading standards officers, also appeared to show Doctors on Wheels staff giving one patient the answer when she was unable to name the letters on an eye test chart. Doctors on WheelsDoctors On Wheels undertook medical tests in the back of white vans are various locations across the UKOn another occasion, Doctors for Wheels staff allowed a patient to take parts of their medical forms home to fill in themselves.

"People who were known to the DVLA as having health conditions were being signed off as perfectly fit," said Rhys Harries, who led the investigation for Swansea Trading Standards, who were the prosecutors in this case. In order get a license to drive heavy good vehicles, drivers must complete a D4 medical. These tests must be paid for privately – and conducted by a doctor registered by the General Medical Council.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.