p icture the scene. A roadside spot-check "somewhere in Britain". As
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a 38-tonner is directed into a layby a frighteningly cheerful man in a striking green and mauve fluorescent jacket climbs into the cab to greet the driver. 'Hi! My name's Bob and I'm your enforcement officer for today! This roadside spotcheck is brought to you by Brake-U-Like—the brake lining supplier for discerning operators. How may I prohibit you?" OK, perhaps we're over-reacting to the suggestion that the Vehicle Inspectorate is considering finding sponsors to raise more money for enforcement. But it's no joke that spending on road transport enforcement has slipped a long way down the political agenda. Ironically, funds are available for enforcement—the Department of Transport consistently underspends the £22bn-plus it raises annually in fuel tax and VED to the tune of a cool £9bn. Unfortunately, our money goes straight to the Treasury. And Government promises on strict public expenditure means that the VI's official funding is unlikely to increase; hence its decision to consider other "imaginative" solutions. One suggestion is that operators could donate extra money on top of their 0licence fees to combat the cowboys. Labour MP Gwyneth Dunwoody says a 50p increase on the licence fee "could be used to protect us from cuts". Never mind 50p, why not £5? Any operator who can't afford an extra £5 to pay for the kind of enforcement the industry desperately needs is clearly insufficiently funded to compete in the business anyway. Meanwhile, we wish the VI well in its search for more money and offer our own "imaginative" suggestion: sell the TV rights to roadside checks to Sky. It might not be as exciting as Premier League soccer, but imagine the effect on dodgy operators...