Food truck owner avoids ban after insurance mix-up
Photo: Michael O'Rourke
A CARLOW food truck operator escaped a driving disqualification at Carlow District Court after a judge accepted that he had accidentally cancelled the insurance on his working van when he had intended to cancel the policy on a van used for storage.
Patrick Kavanagh (53), Bells Hill, Clonmore, Carlow appeared before Judge Geraldine Carthy after Carlow gardaí stopped him at a traffic checkpoint on the evening of 15 August 2025 and found that the Mercedes Benz van he was driving was uninsured. The vehicle’s insurance had been cancelled earlier that month and the van was subsequently seized.
The court also heard that the driving licence Mr Kavanagh had on his person that day appeared to be out of date, although it had since been renewed and backdated. A valid licence was handed in to the court.
Mr Kavanagh’s defence barrister told Judge Carthy that his client runs two food trucks under the company name Frankly The Best and urged the court not to disqualify him, saying a ban “would have a massive impact on his business,” as he needs to drive to locations where he serves food.
The barrister explained that the no insurance arose from “unfortunately, a simple clerical error”. He said that Mr Kavanagh owns two vans – one actively used for trading and another kept off the road and used for storage – and that he had sought to cancel the insurance on the storage van to reduce costs. He had inadvertently cancelled the policy on the wrong vehicle.
The barrister described his client as a concerned citizen who supports local charities, including the event held in Athy the previous weekend.
“He has no previous for road traffic offences and no penalty points at the moment,” he added, asking the judge to consider a minimum fine for the “unintentional clerical error”. Mr Kavanagh had been “polite and respectful” at the checkpoint, his barrister said.
Judge Carthy noted the guilty plea and took the mitigating circumstances into account. She declined to impose a disqualification, fining Mr Kavanagh €300, to be paid within 120 days. Three penalty points will apply.
