Hgv Driving with Cirrhosis

[pussycat66]

Hi all.

Does anyone know if You can renew an HGV licence when you have cirrhosis. My partner is organising a medical for his licence renewal and is worried they will refuse it because he has ALD .

Thank you in advance

[AyrshireK]

He may come into difficulties with regards to Alcohol Related Liver Disease and his driving licence - especially with being so newly diagnosed.

I don't know whether you've said whether or not he is still drinking? DVLA may well be very rigorous with testing before granting a licence especially for HGV.

gov.uk/alcohol-problems-and...

gov.uk/guidance/drug-or-alc...

Is he on any of the treatments for Hepatic Encephalopathy related to his liver disease? HE falls under the notifiable conditions for driving (hidden in the alcohol related disorders bit).

He'll need to be 100% honest with them and undergo any testing they require.

Katie

[pussycat66 in reply to AyrshireK]

Thank you Katie

[pussycat66 in reply to AyrshireK]

He isnt on any medications for his live disease. This is turning into another nightmare as now he may lose his licence and job.

[pussycat66 in reply to pussycat66]

He does drink still but not when he is going to work. only on his days off

[AyrshireK in reply to pussycat66]

He shouldn't be drinking with ARLD and potentially with that diagnosis the medical for his HGV licence might include CDT (Carbohydrate Deficient Transferrin) which identifies ongoing alcohol use.

He really needs to make some big lifestyle changes before things do potentially get difficult.

He may be able to renew his licence or they may put restrictions in place.

I can't say for sure either way, my hubby been unfit to drive due to all the symptoms of his cirrhosis since day 1 and alcohol wasn't a factor.

Katie

[pussycat66 in reply to AyrshireK]

So sorry to hear that Katie. Its awful. My husband is trying to stop drinking, we are only on day 3 but thats a huge step as he was adament he needed a drink every day to help him relax. I think the thought of losing his licence has been a huge wake up call. Could be too late but we will see.

[Jo1305]

My husband had his licence revoked for a year after he was first diagnosed with cirrhosis his consultant wrote to dvla to say he was unfit to drive. It took 14 months to get it back and he was only given a yearly medical licence. When diagnosed with ARLD dvla class you as alcohol dependent so you have to prove total abstinence, you are not allowed to drink at all. My husband attends liver clinic appointments regularly and they used the alcohol tests that are carried out at the clinic as proof of abstinence. At the DVLA medical a CDT test is carried out and if your partner is still regularly drinking it will show up . On the questionnaire if you answer yes to have drunk any alcohol in the past year even if it’s just one beer they will not renew your license. You have to be completely honest as your GP is contacted and whatever is on your medical records will be reported to them. My husband will have the same rigmarole every year for the next four years to renew his licence. If your partner is still drinking they WILL NOT renew his licence and I’d imagine it would be a far more rigorous medical to renew an HGV licence. My husband gave up drinking as soon as he was diagnosed. He got severally depressed when his licence was revoked and it was a long 14 months fighting the urge not to have a drink but he knew if he did he”d never get his driving licence back. He’s now gone from decompensated back to compensated and the healthiest he’s been in years. If your partner wants to renew his licence he will have to have complete abstinence.

[pussycat66 in reply to Jo1305]

Thank you so much for your reply

[Jo1305 in reply to pussycat66]

If they do revoke his licence the only way to get it back is to be alcohol free for a year. He can apply again at 10 months but it took 14 months in total for my husband to get his back. To be given a diagnosis out of the blue then have your driving licence taken off of you which affects then affects your livelihood is soul destroying. I totally feel your pain my husband was reliant on me for 14 months and got really depressed and angry. He’d never drunk drove in his life or had any points on his licence. He had no symptoms that affected his driving but a consultant decided because he had cirrhosis he was alcohol dependent (which he wasn’t) and that was that . He’s never touched a drink since but the depression of not driving was bad. Good luck I hope things work out for your husband, Jo x

[Lavender-Pearl]

My husband drove for a living and had his license revoked as he was on medication for HE and they said he was alcohol dependent, this January gone. He was diagnosed a year ago and after his first clinic appointment he was told to advise DVLA of his cirrhosis. He hasn’t drank alcohol for over 2years. He has had his transplant on 24th June and has completed forms to apply for his license sent off 8 weeks ago. They haven’t even acknowledged the receipt although we had it tracked, it is an impossible situation. You can’t speak to anyone to find anything out you just have to sit and wait, it’s crazy I have to do all the driving. My heart goes out to you as it is very likely that because it’s ARLD he will have his license revoked as my husband’s was. So far my husband’s employer has kept his job for him but how much longer I just don’t know. Wishing you the best x

[Jo1305 in reply to Lavender-Pearl]

Hang on in there it took my husband 4 months for dvla to process his application. We sent it away in November last year as his year was up in January. He finally got a years licence through the post in April of this year. Good luck, Jo x