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Last month police forces across Europe took part in Operation Mermaid: a coordinated clampdown on rogue operators. In Britain the authorities were looking out for unscrupulous Continental and Hazchem trucks; Tim Maughan caught up with the powers-that be as they laid down the law on the M25...
One of the three-litre Vauxhall Omegas of the Metropolitan Police's South West Traffic Unit is travelling slowly on the anti-clockwise lane of the M25. Just then, Acting Sergeant Dave Warren spots the distinctive outline of a foreign-registered drawbar combination up ahead. PC Cohn , Foster accelerates past the truck, then drops back into the slow lane.
Now at a safe distance ahead of the vehicle, Warren switches on the car's roof sign which instructs the HGV to follow us. The driver , gets the message. In fact, it is near impossible for him not to: the sign is equipped with seven European languages, so it is difficult for a driver to argue that he does not under. stand the instruction.
A few minutes later we are at a lorry park near Heathrow Airport. The authorities are here in force. There are 32 police officers, 13 Vehicle Inspectorate officials and three Customs and Excise staff. It is important to remember that this show of strength is just part of the story. Simultaneously, 38 other police forces the length and breadth of the land are hauling in trucks.
Male driver
The truck that was brought in, a Dutch-registered Daf 95.36o, is now stationary. Out of it climbs a young male driver. A check by Warren and Foster reveals that the tyres are torn. They explain to the driver that by the me this truck has finished its UK trip the tires will be just about finished.
Although they are not truck experts, the raffic police know what to look out for—and hey have the power to issue prohibition Lotices. Warren once saw a brake reservoir winging dangerously from a tipper. That mck was stopped, and the haulier was proscuted. "It is satisfying to know that a dangerus truck is off the road," he says.
The Dutch truck is not in a bad enough tate to warrant a prohibition, but with the tip of a police interpreter Foster tells the river that his tachograph needs altering: it ; in Dutch time and it must be changed to ;ritish time. As Chief Inspector Ray Baker of the Metropolitan Police's South West Traffic Unit says, such spot checks are rare. Intelligence is the most efficient way to catch the cowboys, he explains: "Today there is a different emphasis from our last operation (CM, 1-7 March 2001). This one is aimed at Hazchem and foreign trucks, but obviously it is difficult to check all vehicles on the motorway so we have to be selective about who we stop."
The traffic police take their homework seriously. In fact, without the right information, Operation Mermaid could not happen. "We would not undertake this if the intelligence was not in place," says Baker. This intelligence is so detailed that even individual foreign hauliers can be targetted. Trucks operated by reputable hauliers are stopped from time to time, but they need not worry about downtime: "They may be stopped but they will not be stopped for long," Baker stresses.
Cowboy operators
As you would expect, the opposite is true when cowboy operators are caught. The first prohibition of the day was issued when a Hazchem tanker was discovered to be leaking its load, says Dell Evans, a senior traffic examiner at the Vehicle Inspectorate.
The powers-that-be have no shortage of weapons in the war against unscrupulous operators. For the VI, mobile weighbridges are an invaluable tool. "They take 45 minutes D to set up," says Evans, and every one of the 23 UK Vehicle Inspectorate areas has one."
The mobile weighbridges have an obvious advantage over the conventional variety, although the information they provide cannot provide the basis for a prosecution. However, the VI can issue a prohibition notice if a mobile weighbridge brings an overloading case to light.
The authorities are on the look out for mechanical defects, as well as tachograph offences. But this is just part of the story. The police also look out for drugs, and of course terrorist activity.
Springer spaniel
Today PC Paul Young and his springer spaniel Tom have been mobilised. Tom leaps up into a tractor cab and Young follows. A quick sniff around uncovers nothing so the man and dog team inspect the tyres. Again, nothing untoward here. But at checks elsewhere in the country sniffer dogs have found contraband (see box).
This particular operation has uncovered foreign drivers who have flouted drivers' hours. Most have failed to take insufficient rest, but more seriously a British driver is found to have tampered with his tachograph.
Whatever the offence, VI senior traffic examiner Geoff Reeve says that each individual Operation Mermaid is worthwhile, even if just one driver is caught breaking the law. He says: "It shows that we are required and that we are doing the right job. If we can stop just one tired person from driving, then the operation is worthwhile."
British hauliers crave a level playing field with Europe. Interestingly, though, there is no evidence to suggest that our Continental cousins push the boat out when it comes to drivers' hours: When we check UK and Continental trucks we find that they are more or less the same with regard to tachograph offences." says Reeve.
Chief Inspector Baker looks at the wider picture—and warns the cowboys that they can run, but they can't hide: "Some hauliers and drivers are of the opinion that the police are tied up with dealing with other types of crime, and that they can flout the law. This is not the case, and we are dealing with those who are breaking the law.
"We will continue to run operations like this; they are a priority for us. Our intelligence means we can target the right people."