French jail UK driver for tacho offences
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• A driver who served 15 days in a French [ail for Iwo tachograph offences is warning UK drivers who bend tachograph rules abroad to expect the same.
Malcolm Culley of West Yorkshire was travelling to Italy in January for Halifaxbased D&MA Sunderland & Son when he was stopped at a routine police check at Bourg-en-Bresse.
The police found Culley had not attended court for a 1997 tachograph offence in France and had committed a previous tachograph offence in 1994. Culley paid a FFr 1 1,000 (£1,140} fine in 1997 but did not attend court because he believed no sentence would be given. He was arrested on the spot, handcuffed and, after a twohour trial, was sentenced for a second offence.
Culley, who admits his guilt, says British drivers want to run legally but are being encouraged not to. Neither offence took place while he was driving for D&MA Sutherland.
"I didn't think I'd get caught," says Culley. He shared a 7x3m cell with six other prisoners; they were only allowed out for one hour a day. Culley lost more than £1,000 in wages and plans to quit heavy haulage.