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Limiter recall request
Page 10
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by Derren Hayes • An Essex haulier wants Renault to recall all its Magnum trucks after a driver altered a speed limiter the operator thought was tamper-proof.
Last week Purfleet-based GM Hector International was fined £3,000 after one of its drivers was stopped for speeding in France and found to have tampered with the speed limiter. Renault Magnum limiters have a glass window with a seal but the driver managed to lift the window without breaking the seal and alter the setting.
Hector's owner George Hector says: "Anyone who buys a vehicle is buying under the knowledge that all systems should be tamper-proof." Renault says there is no design fault and puts the responsibility firmly with the driver and operator. A spokesman says: "If someone chooses to break the law, the responsibility is theirs. Tampering with a speed limiter is evidence of a clear choice to break the law."
The Magnum has a warning light in the cab that comes on when a speed limiter setting has been changed and Renault also advises operators to check tachographs frequently.
The Renault spokesman adds that 100% security in any system is improbable.
Hector disagrees. He says: "100% security is possible if the seal is tamper-proof—if it isn't, it defeats the object of having a seal."
Since the incident Hector has had its Magnums' seal windows and the securing bolts and screws coated in industrial wax so that any tampering will break the wax and be detectable at a glance.
Hector says: "Renault should do something about it now and not wait until a speeding lorry crashes and kills somebody."