i The Vehicle Inspectorate is on track to start impounding
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trucks caught running without Operating Licences in July: it is now negotiating with the firms who will store confiscated vehicles. A spokeswoman for the VI says contracts have now been sent out to a number of organisations that will store vehicles on the VI's behalf.
There were fears that the General Election might have delayed the start of impounding, and this can still not be entirely ruled out as civil servants involved in policy making effectively have to down tools once an election campaign is under way. However, the VI is confident that the new crackdown will be launched on schedule.
Operators will have to get used to the new regime quickly. Last month Lord Attlee, the peer who fought a one-man campaign in the House of Lords to get impounding introduced, warned the truck rental industry that they will have to start asking hirers whether they need an 0-licence to operate the vehicle as ignorance of the law will not be a defence.
The rest of the industry will be keen to see how the draconian measure of confiscation will work in reality: some pundits warn that factories could be disrupted for want of vital parts.