Thomas McDonell, chairman of the Northern Ireland Owner Drivers Association,
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believes losing your driving licence is the only way to stop repeated tachograph and overloading offences.
The large companies drivers haul for are creaming off the profits'
For the past three years our association has tried to improve conditions for owner-drivers here in Northern Ireland but there ore times when I think we are just wasting our time. Haulage rates are going down and the cost of keeping a truck on the rood goes up every day. No one is to blame more than owner-drivers themselves.
When they are faced with rate cuts or increasing costs they simply recoup their losses by carrying extra tonnes over the limit or do a few more hours every day. Dery can be bought in the Republic of Ireland for about 40p a litre plus VAT or, like a lot of cowboys, you can fill up with red diesel for around 12-14p a litre.
This undoubtedly costs millions of pounds every year in lost revenue to the Exchequer. The haulage industry in Northern Ireland is in a terrible mess and I find it impossible to stop the decline. Why won't drivers wise up and realise they are the losers and the large companies they haul for are creaming off the profits? From 1 October penalty points were introduced but it seems that overloading and tachograph offences are not serious enough to warrant them. These ore awarded for general maintenance failures including defective tyres, steering and brakes and also speeding offences. Each time tachograph and overloading offenders are caught and brought before the courts there is simply a fine of £50£300, depending on the judge. Drivers are caught on numerous occasions but it doesn't bother them because they know when the fine is paid they are back on the road again. Tachograph abuse is rife. When everyone works legal hours then we will have a level playing field and we can all earn an honest day's living in this seriously competitive industry. If drivers collected 12 penalty points for tachograph and overloading offences they would lose their driving licence, which would put them off the rood for three months. This is the one deterrent that would make a difference, It is the only sensible deterrent—if you are going to lose your licence you won't overload. I have spoken to the enforcement authorities but they say they don't envisage a penalty-point system for the foreseeable future. I would like to see them push for it.
Parliament has iust returned and I will be lobbying my MP to put the pressure on. I wonder what other owner-drivers think?
• Thomas McDonnell can be contacted on 0850 209950.