Commercial vehicle checks – A1 at Gonerby Moor

Our Roads Policing Unit (RPU) joined forces with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) at Gonerby Moor on the A1 last week and checked over 30 vehicles which were either designed as car transporters or were towing trailers to transport vehicles.

Out of the 30 vehicles checked, graduated fixed penalty tickets were issued for eight tachograph and drivers’ hours offences, and 17 overweight and insecure load offences. Two drivers were reported for summons where their vehicle was more than 30% overweight, which is considered to be in a dangerous condition. Two Operator Licence offences were identified.
Three vehicles were prohibited from moving for 11 hours due to not having a tachograph and two vehicles were prohibited from moving due to a number of faults and safety concerns.
In addition, one driver was dealt with for using a mobile phone, two drivers for registration mark offences and a tractor driver for defective indicator lights and being overweight.
The DVSA also prohibited five overladen vehicles and identified two drivers’ hours offences.

PC Glenn Faulks, who led the operation, said: “Tachographs record information about driving time, speed, and distance, and is a necessary tool to ensure drivers and employers drive safely on our roads for every road user, including themselves. Commercial vehicles account for a significant proportion of the vehicles on our roads, and it’s important that they comply with the legislation.

“Through enforcement, education, and prohibitions where necessary, the aim is to promote best practise within the industry.

“While we are patrolling our roads in the county daily, today we were focussing on commercial vehicles. These are professional drivers who should know and comply with the road traffic legislation.

“It is disappointing to find drivers’ hours offences, insecure loads, vehicles that are overweight and in a dangerous condition, and operator licence offences when there is so much that could go wrong.

“The important of securing and towing a trailer cannot be underestimated; in Lincolnshire we have investigated collisions where people have sadly lost their lives due to not attaching trailers correctly or securing loads safely.

“We’re very grateful to the DVSA for their support.”