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overloading: fines small, perks large
Page 19
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To back up his statements, Mr lixon said that a refrigerated ehicle travelling between .thens and London charges bout £100 per ton carried.
If it overloads by ten tons, an xtra £1,000 can be gained by le operator — the maximum enalty for such an offence is 400 which means that, even if aught, an operator still stands ) gain at least £800.
Some foreign drivers admit let they do not see enforcelent officers for several years nd Mr Dixon said that the law is clearly in favour of the operator.
Mr Dixon said that most overloading is done by local based UK vehicles. "The trouble with the foreigners is that they make a good job of overloading."
A foreign driver can drive on the Continent for more than 1,000 miles at a legally permitted weight, sometimes even without border checks. It is not surpris ing that he does the last 70 miles of his journey, between Dover and London, at 40 or even 50 tonnes, said Mr Dixon.
He went on to surmise that up to 50 per cent of all fully loaded vehicles are overloaded, usually by about 1 5-2 0 per cent. However, he admitted that it is only the "gormless" who are caught.
But operators should not feel they are immune from the law.
Enforcement officers work at nights and weekends, and patrol areas for vehicles which appear to be evading officers at weighbridge checkpoints.
In addition, the retrospective ticket check method of enforce ment has been developed to provide more cover over a longer period on the movement of vehicles. For persistent offenders, offences are reported to the Licensing Authority with the long-term view of curtailing the Operators licence.
Mr Dixon urged planners and road designers to provide for weight-check sites on small areas of land near new roads. For the future, he said that the UK should adopt the American practice of using a pad across the highway which gives the vehicle's weight to the nearest ton.
If necessary, vehicles could be taken off the road at the next suitable point.