France limiters alert by Miles Brignall • Any operator caught
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in France with an incorrectly set speed limiter faces long delays as the vehicle is given an annual test and a large fine, warns a Milton Keynes-based international haulier.
Last week a Mercedes 1838 tractor and trailer operated by Anglo European Services UK was stopped near Bordeaux by gendarmes who found the speed limiter had been set just 4km/h above the 85km/h limit After the authorities imposed a fine of FF5,900 (£600) and forced the driver to have the limiter recalibrated, Anglo's owner, Ian Foster, thought that was the end of the story.
But, as driver Linda Foster was about to set off for loading, she was told that the vehicle would have to undergo the French equivalent of an annual test before its release. Heavy schedules at the Bordeaux testing station meant that Foster faced a week-long wait before the truck would be released.
When Ian Foster contacted the Freight Transport Association, he was told several firms had been given the same treatment in France.
FTA international manager Karen Packham says limiters appear to be flavour of the month in France. "What they are doing is applying the exact letter of law," she says. "Any operator whose truck is set even lkm/h over the 85km/h limit will be prosecuted."