A young man driving a loading shovel for a Monaghan-based silage contractor received two penalty points last week for not having a Novice (N) plate displayed on the machine he was driving.

The young man obtained his full driving licence 18 months ago but under road traffic legislation introduced in August 2014, he must display an N plate on the vehicle during the first two years of holding a full licence. The 2014 legislation states that if the tractor is towing an implement or trailer, the N plate should be on the rear of the tractor, or if not clearly visible there, it should be placed in a vertical position on the rear of the implement or trailer.

Non-display of N plates is an offence under traffic law and is punishable by a fine not exceeding €1,000 for a first offence. On becoming a penalty point offence, failure to display an N plate will carry two points on payment of a fixed charge or four on court conviction. The penalty points in this case relate to the driver of the tractor, not the tractor owner, under Irish law.

New and younger drivers, who are considered novice drivers, or those driving tractors and farm machinery under a learner permit, have a lower threshold of seven penalty points to retain their licence (12 penalty points for more experienced drivers).

If, however, the driver has held a learner permit for a tractor before 1 August 2014, the threshold of 12 penalty points applies, according the Road Safety Authority (RSA) booklet Introduction of N-plates to the Driver Licensing System Effective from 1 August 2014.

Richard White, chair of the Association of Farm Contractors of Ireland (FCI) told the Irish Farmers Journal that this legislation is difficult to put into practice due to the wide range of machines that younger drivers will be operating throughout the season.

“This situation is news to FCI members, many of whom employ younger seasonal drivers as an important part of their team. We would have appreciated if the RSA had informed our members of this issue in advance of the main silage season rather than enforcement without warning or advice.

“We are urging all contractors to ensure that their younger drivers are protected with the proper N signage on tractors, trailers and machines, to prevent them from receiving unnecessary penalty points,” said White.