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IM
pounding move
by Nicky Clarke • Transport Secretary John MacGregor has rejected industry calls to introduce impounding of unlicensed operators' trucks.
Instead he favours a range of measures, including higher fines, for operators who persistently flout the law.
An internal Department of Transport paper written by the Illegal Operations Working Group outlines the proposed measures; it will be circulated to the industry during the next two weeks. The proposals will look at more effective use of existing procedures, says the DOT, because "enforcement could be tighter".
Better targeting of enforcement will be combined with improved co-ordination between traffic areas. There will also be more multi-agency spot checks at sites where illegal operators are likely to be found and enforcement agencies will target hauliers known or suspected to be operating illegally.
The DOT wants to see more involvement from the London Waste Regulation Authority because waste carriers at building and civil engineering sites "seem to be the worst offenders" says the working group.
If an operator is found to be flouting the licensing regulations he will be investigated to see if he is breaking other aspects of the law, such as running untaxed vehicles. This will be achieved by linking computer systems and sharing information between enforcement agencies.
Computer links between the South Eastern and Metropolitan Traffic Area and the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency are already established. Work is now underway to extend these links between Traffic Area Offices, the DVLA and the Waste Regulation Authorities' databases.
On the measure of higher fines, Transport Minister Robert Key has already written to the Magistrates Association asking for higher fines to be imposed in cases of illegal operations.
There is growing concern within the industry that even when offenders are caught magistrates are reluctant to impose maximum fines because they do not fully grasp the standards operators must meet to get an 0-licence.
The Illegal Operations Working Group includes the Vehicle Inspectorate, Traffic Areas, the Metropolitan Police, the Home Office and the LWRA. It recommended that traffic examiners should be empowered to impound vehicles when hauliers were caught operating without 0licence The Government resisted a similar call two years ago, saying the measure was "Draconian". But impounding is strongly supported by Traffic Commissioners Ronald Ashford, Michael Turner and Keith Waterworth and by the Road Haulage Association, which says it will continue to campaign for the measure.
Industry hopes for impounding were boosted earlier this year when Jack Winder, who is responsible for enforcement at the DOT, said: "We feel there is a very strong case for heading in this direction."