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ANPR system to help VOSA
Page 6
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catch the cowboy hauliers
EXCLUSIVE
• by Chris Tindall Cowboy hauliers will soon have no hiding place as the enforcement authorities roll out their latest weapon—Automatic Number Plate Technology (ANPR) The revolutionary system uses video cameras to scan HOY number plates for illegal operators. Photographic images are run through the Vehicle and Operator Service Agency's (VOSA) database for a match and the vehicle's time and whereabouts also recorded, Any vehicle not shown on an Operators' Licence or without a current test certificate can be pulled over immediately, The technology works in all weather conditions, whether the patrol vans are stationary or mobile, and Is over 98% accurate.
With new powers enabling VOSA officers to stop vehicles being introduced in a matter of weeks, the agency expects the technology to be an invaluable asset.
"A compliant operator has nothing to fear from this system; he's going to gain from It by the fact that this is going to help us weed out the people that are running Illegally," says VOSA vehicle examiner Malcolm Jones. He stresses that the technology will not replace random checks and Is keen to point out it does not monitor the speed of individual vehicles.
Ray Dickson, managing director at Croydon-based F Dickson Transport, cautiously welcomes Its introduction, saying he will be "a little guarded" until he sees how it works in practice.
He adds: "There's still a cowboy element out there and we know instances where people have undercut us. Weeding out these rogue operators is good news."
VOSA will initially use ANPR in eight patrol vehicles, one for each traffic area, at a cost of around E160,000 which has been covered by the Road Haulage Modernisation Fund. A further 12 vans, also displaying the fluorescent green and black 'Battenburg' style livery have the capacity to carry the equipment.
Jones adds: "The bottom line is to improve road safety, whether it is because of people running too many hours and falling asleep, or because they haven't got a licence and are running defective vehicles; that's our goal."