Eamonn Barrett International Transport Limited, based at Kilbeha, Askeaton, appeared before Newcastle West District Court following an investigation by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).
The company pleaded guilty to seven sample charges from a total of 18 brought before the court.
The court heard the investigation began after one of the company’s vehicles was stopped during a routine checkpoint on the outskirts of Athlone, Co Westmeath, on September 1, 2025.
An RSA inspector told the court that the driver was asked to produce his driver card during the inspection. Checks subsequently established that the card had been reported lost approximately a year earlier and was not valid at the time of the stop.
RSA inspectors later attended the company’s premises in January and met with owner Eamonn Barrett before examining company records and documentation.
A number of breaches were uncovered, including failures relating to the downloading of tachograph data, which the company was legally required to carry out.
Inspectors also found several cases in which drivers had exceeded their permitted daily driving hours.
The court was further told that the driver card reported as missing had nevertheless been used on 131 occasions over a six-month period.
The company accepted responsibility for the breaches.
Giving evidence, Mr Barrett said he should have been more diligent in monitoring the drivers and the movements of the company’s vehicles.
He explained that the problems arose after an office manager left the business and moved to Australia, creating difficulties in replacing her.
"It was difficult to replace her and I tried to manage as best as possible," Mr Barrett said.
He told his solicitor, Eamonn Dillon, that significant steps had since been taken to address the issues.
The company has engaged an external provider to download and analyse its tachograph records, while three drivers identified during the RSA investigation are no longer employed by the business.
Solicitor Aidan Judge, appearing for the RSA, told Judge Valerie Corcoran that the authority had accepted the guilty pleas on the basis that the full circumstances would be outlined to the court.
When imposing the €5,000 fine, Judge Corcoran said the breaches had to be treated seriously but acknowledged the strong mitigating factors presented on behalf of the company.
