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Hang 'em out to dry
Page 9
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If ever there was a time to end the unholy alliance between dodgy operators and desperate drivers it's now. Senior TC Mike Betts' proposal to deal harshly with drivers who deliberately, persistently and
cynically exceed their hours or disable their limiters is not only welcome but also long overdue. Commercial Motor makes no apology for being in the "Hang 'Em and Flog 'Ern" brigade when it comes to enforcement. The industry has only ever responded to draconian penalties—and right now the magistrates courts are clearly NOT dishing them out. Not when the average fine in England and Wales for all successful road traffic prosecutions (not just drivers' hours) is a pathetic 1173, and only £104 in Scotland. If the courts won't get to grips with the cowboys then it's time to let the TCs do the job. Ironically for those drivers who are pressurised into breaking the law there's never been a better time to say no. With the industry short of 4o,000 HGV licence holders the whip hand is dearly with them. Any driver who is told to break the law should blow the whistle, long and hard. However, let's not forget that plenty of drivers need no encouragement to break the law. Either way, a minimum ban of a year should make anyone think twice before tacho fiddling. And operators who coerce drivers into breaking the law should also be banned —for life.