Belgium targets tacho keys
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• International operators have been warned by Belgian police not to keep keys in their tachograph heads but to leave them back at base with their transport managers.
The Road Haulage Association reports that the police have been issuing this surprising advice following a vehicle check at Aalst, in the north of Belgium.
A driver working for Francis Transport in Washington, Tyne & Wear, who was stopped in the check says the Belgian police also insisted that the CMR notes should carry both the community authorisation number and the consignee's VAT number.
"This is totally ludicrous and illogical," says Francis Transport managing director John Francis. "How can drivers change their cards each day if they are supposed to leave the tachograph key back at the depot?"
He believes the police pressure may be in preparation for cabotage this month. The RHA is trying to clarify the situation with the Belgian authorities.