Vito get details of offences from abroad
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IIII Haulers caught committing offences abroad will have the details sent back to the UK in future to be held on file alongside their existing UK records.
The Vehicle Inspectorate has signed reciprocal agreements with its eqvalents in France, Eire, the Benelux Countries and Germany to pass on details of action taken against foreign hauliers caught offending.
Under its terms, any British haulier caught in France committing, for example, a tacho
graph offence will have the details and any fine or other action taken sent back to the VI's headquarters in Bristol. The information MI then be inputted into the new Traffic Area Network computer system that is due to come on-lire in October. Equally, details of foreign trucks stopped in the UK will be passed back to the authorities in their own country.
Details of this and other measures were revealed in the VI's Business Plan and Annual Report. The plan gives details of research the VI is currently undertaking into why so many trucks fail the annual test over headlamp aim and what steps should be taken to improve on that.
It is also looking at developing a more sophisticated and effective emissions test for "today's new generation of diesel engines". The Business Plan confirms that the VI will consult the industry on how it should check seas on tacho and speed limiter equipment which is to be added to the annual test "from 2002".
While its annual report v make very satisfying reading fi senior VI staff there is one an where it admits it has had pro lems—the speed of annual te bookings. Throughout tl report, the VI confirms it hit all i targets except in this one arealast year it failed to offer 90% hauliers a test appointme within 18 working days. Althoq the results have improved, the still blames a shortage in testi( staff, and is launching a recru meet campaign.