Trucker stopped in Co Kildare was found to be driving non-stop for almost 24 hours

A truck driver was driving for almost 24 hours due to pressure from his boss, Naas District Court heard.

Polish national Andrzej Kmak (47), who has been living in Ireland for 10 years, was fined a total of €4,500 and banned from driving for two years for the offences.

Gardai said that they found a magnet attached to part of the engine of Mr Kmak's vehicle which interferes with the tachograph which records the legal number of driving hours.

When stopped near the M7 at 8.45am on January 22, analysis of the tachograph showed that Mr Kmak had been driving since 9.14am the previous day.

Under current laws, truck drivers must take at least nine hours of rest each day in order to avoid fatigue.

The court heard Mr Kmak had previous convictions for road traffic offences such as running a red light and having a defective vehicle.

The defendant's lawyers said that the driver was under pressure from his employer to complete deliveries.

He added that the driver is the main provider for his family and to lose his job would be catastrophic.

Judge Zaidan said: "He is putting himself - and other road users at risk. It's just insane."

He added: "Falling asleep at the wheel of an artic can have catastrophic consequences."

The judge fined Mr Kmak a total of €4,500 and disqualified him from driving for two years.