Hi ive just lost my class 1 for 12 months after suffering ishemic stroke need to pass medical to regain it, any one had to go through this and experiences regaining theres
Craig0609:
Hi ive just lost my class 1 for 12 months after suffering ishemic stroke need to pass medical to regain it, any one had to go through this and experiences regaining theres
Not yet.
I take it you’ve already informed DVLA about having a stroke, with form STRV1 ?
By the way, keep a record of any correspondence and telephone conversations you have with them, names, dates, times, short note on the content of phone ‘chats’. There’s a ‘sticky’ post at the top of this forum detailing some of their shortcomings. Accurate records are needed if you want to pursue a claim against them, so keep records. You probably won’t want to try and claim, but at the moment you don’t know. It’s no good wishing you’d known and kept records, but didn’t.
I had a stroke in July last year, so my year is almost up.
I’ll be writing to the DVLA this week, to ask about what tests I’ll have to do, documents they’ll want to see, etc. So I can have all my ducks lined up, ready for when they want them.
If I get any reply, I’ll let you know.
And I’ll report on what I actually have to do to get my licence back, more or less as it happens.
I shouldn’t have any problems with general fitness. I walked 4 miles today in just over an hour, been doing that for quite a while now. I intend to do the Edinburgh Kiltwalk(<link) in September, a 24 mile charity fundraising sponsored walk, so I’ve been training for that. I did it twice pre-Covid as well 
I’m also going to ask them if they pay me any benefits from July until I have my licence. At the moment I’m on ESA, because I’m not fit for work, they say so. Once I start the application process, I’m saying I am fit for work, so shouldn’t be claiming ESA. Also, I can’t claim Job Seekers Allowance either, because my boss is keeping my job open for me, so I won’t be actively seeking work. The only reason I won’t be able to work is because they have rescinded my hgv licence, so it’s down to them I can’t earn a wage, so it’s down to them to give me financial support.
I don’t anticipate any useful help from them at all on this. I’m just throwing them the ball to see what they do with it 
I haven’t returned my licence to them btw. When I came out of hospital last year, knowing my licence was going to be rescinded, I put it away in a ‘safe’ place. It’s so safe that when they asked me to return it, 7 months after I told them I’d had a stroke, I can’t find it 
It was a surprise that I am still the person responsible for informing them I’ve had a stroke and therefore putting myself out of work. I thought someone at the hospital would tell them, after the Glasgow Bin Lorry driver incident several years ago. Presumably Medical Confidentiality, I dunno though.
Lessons I’ve learned from past dealings with DVLA over medical issues-
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Don’t ever tell any medical professional that you are an HGV driver. If they ask, tell them you work in a shop.
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Treat DVLA as the enemy. DO NOT tell them anything about any medical issues you have had. The fine you risk will harm you far less than the income you stand to lose if you do. DVLA don’t care about you so don’t overly concern yourself about any obligations to them.
Well I sent that letter in June, roughly a month before my year was up. On the morning of 21st July, the anniversary of my stroke, an envelope from the DVLA came through my door.
It contained a brief note to tell me what should be in the envelope, but no references or answers to questions I’d asked. There was a D2 licence application form and an STR1V.
I filled them out, scanned them into my computer, then posted them back on 25th July. So now I’m waiting for the medical.
I’ve since seen that the DVLA Medical Section has been, or still is, on strike. The waiting is likely to be looooong 
I found my MP - or rather, my MP’s constituency staff - to be the way to an answer on that one, Simon. I got caught in a trap where DVLA missed a vital form out of a letter sending the vital form, and threatening full revocation if I didn’t send it back on time. At this point (as now, most likely) no-one answered their phone, and their email address bounced. Panic stations!
Long story short, emailed MP, his staff got onto DVLA via a special line, job jobbed. Still took 9 months and a pointless driving assessment overall, but if you’ve heard nothing after a month or so, try that route. 
Lucy:
I found my MP - or rather, my MP’s constituency staff - to be the way to an answer on that one, Simon. I got caught in a trap where DVLA missed a vital form out of a letter sending the vital form, and threatening full revocation if I didn’t send it back on time. At this point (as now, most likely) no-one answered their phone, and their email address bounced. Panic stations!Long story short, emailed MP, his staff got onto DVLA via a special line, job jobbed. Still took 9 months and a pointless driving assessment overall, but if you’ve heard nothing after a month or so, try that route.
No problems with what was in the envelope Lucy, it was as stated in the note. There was no mention of the letter I’d sent a month before.
I’ll leave it another week, then try some gentle geeing up. If that doesn’t get results I’ll try the MP’s offices route.
I’ve got a job waiting for me to go back to. The DWP are going to get shirty soon too.
The DWP will get shirty, because I’m claiming ESA. That’s because a Govt’ quango says I’m too sick to do my job until they tell me otherwise. So I’m claiming money from a different dept’ until I’m told I can get back to work. Seems fair to me I doubt they’ll see it the same way 
And this morning, the posty dropped a DVLA letter through my letter box. Dated 11th Aug, so it only took 6 days to get here 
, but that’s the DVLA for you, 2nd class post
Anyway, they are going to write to my own Doctor, to enquire about my fitness to drive HGVs. Luckily I actually saw him a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in 8 years. So hopefully he can reply almost straight away, and will say that I’m good to go. Then it’ll be the wait for the DVLA to receive that letter, decide if I need anything else, then send me my licence by 2nd class mail. Presumably another 6 days from the date they send it
Good news is that things are still being done down there, even if at their usual snails pace.
Lucy:
I found my MP - or rather, my MP’s constituency staff - to be the way to an answer on that one, Simon. I got caught in a trap where DVLA missed a vital form out of a letter sending the vital form, and threatening full revocation if I didn’t send it back on time. At this point (as now, most likely) no-one answered their phone, and their email address bounced. Panic stations!Long story short, emailed MP, his staff got onto DVLA via a special line, job jobbed. Still took 9 months and a pointless driving assessment overall, but if you’ve heard nothing after a month or so, try that route.
I’ve still not heard from the DVLA. I don’t know if they’ll take my doctors word for it, or if the letter asked, “is it worth us making an appointment for our Dr to do a medical on him?” My doctor replied in the same week he got the letter. I’ve also been dropped off ESA, so have started claiming JSA. But I’ve got a job to go to, as soon as I get my licence back.
The last line of the letter I received, dated 11th Aug said, “Don’t contact us unless you have new evidence”, or something very like that. Which is DVLA speak for, “if you do, your file will mysteriously move backwards in the line”. So I think contacting my MP will have to be my next step.
I’ve eventually got bored with waiting, and hearing nothing from the DVLA.
So I’ve phoned my MPs constituency office.
I explained where I was and requested their assistance. The lady I spoke to seemed to be not the slightest bit surprised at my request. As if this was quite a normal request that they dealt with all the time. I gave them some details and they’ll get back to me either tomorrow or early next week.
I’m suffered a stroke in July 2023 so posted the form to dvla informing them straight away about the 17th of July 2023 it wasn’t until the end of September they said they received my form which I know was a load of bull cos I sent it recorded,so skip forward to this September 2024 filled all relevant forms in and sent it back phoned them up after 8 weeks of not hearing anything,they said they was still waiting on my doctor to return a letter,so today 16/12/2024 got a letter to say they still waiting on doctor to reply to them,got on phone to doctor,the doctor hasn’t had any letter from dvla,back on phone to dvla to tell them my doctor hasn’t received anything,they then proceeded to tell me they have sent the letter out on the 11/12/2024………dvla are a absolute joke I’ve put a formal complaint in telling them they are playing with peoples jobs and causing more stress because all they do is drag there feet to do anything,I mean this day and age and we still rlying on letters to be sent……rant over