1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196 
VI's roadside prohibitions threaten huge disruption
Page 106
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
• by Miles Brignall UK hauliers face massive disruption when the Vehicle Inspectorate starts issuing prohibitions to drivers who have run out of hours, warns an ex-traffic police officer who runs a tachograph bureau.
From today (1 February), the VI has the power to impose an immediate prohibition on any truck whose driver is found to have broken the drivers' hours regulations at a roadside check. When a driver has missed a rest period the VI is empowered to detain him at the check point until that rest has been taken--regardless of its length. Until today the VI has been allowed to halt foreign drivers for hours offences. but not those based in the UK.
But David Tomlinson, owner of Northwich-based tacho agency Contach (UK), warns that if the VI uses its new powers in the same way it does on foreign drivers. British drivers are in for a nasty shock.
"Every day I deal with cases of foreign drivers who are stopped in circumstances that most people would regard as unbelievable," he says. "They are regularly halted a few miles from their destination— sometimes within sight of it—and told to park up until the next rest period has been taken."
Tomlinson, who represents the Dutch road haulage association as well as many Irish operators, also alleges that some VI staff view such prohibitions as a punishment to the haulier involved and fail to lift them even if a fresh driver arrives to take over the vehicle.
"There is a check at Holyhead where drivers can see the ferry they are about to board," he reports. "Drivers with just a few minutes of driving time remaining are routinely stopped from boarding ferries if by doing so they might run over by just a few minutes."
Tomlinson believes it is possible that VI personnel see these prohibitions as an easy option as there is no need to prepare a case for court. He points out that once a prohibition has been imposed it is very difficult to get it lifted.
• See comment, page