Dip stalls on limiters
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• Rumours of impending changes to road traffic laws and the C&U regulations allow the prosecution of speeding drivers from tachograph charts and the mandatory fitting of road speed limiters to heavy trucks, appear to be just that — at least for 1987.
Although the Department of Transport has drawn up draft regulations for the fitting of speed limiters to coaches next year, there are no plans for fitting them to HGVs. It is also sticking to its position that tachograph charts alone are not adequate evidence for a successful prosecution of a speeding offence in a court of law.
The DTp say it will continue to monitor HGV drivers' speed through the licensing authorities, which will take action against persistent offenders or companies.
The department is also maintaining its enforcement campaign against vehicle overloading. By the end of the year it will have a further six dynamic axle weighers in action although it claims it does not have a target for the number of axle weighers. It intends to fill in gaps in the current network, and will make more use of existing sites.
Since 1982, the number of dynamic axle weighers in the UK has doubled to around 60, and last year close to 100,000 HGVs were check-weighed by traffic examiners and trading standards officials.
Despite the recent call for a crackdown on overweight vehicles following the publication of the report into the sinking of the Herald of Free Enteprise, it appears likely that the DTp will tackle the immediate problem of determining the weight of HGVs using RO-RO ferries before setting up any system of check-weighing TIR trucks coming off ferries into the UK.
The department says that it will continue to look at both aspects of feriy overloading.