24/09/2017
5 live InvestigatesAdrian Goldberg reveals how more truckers are being caught with new technology which is posing a risk on our roads.
Last year the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency caught 450 lorries fitted with ‘interrupters’ crossing into the UK. These devices override tachographs, disable anti-lock brakes, speedometers and allow truckers to drive for dangerously long hours in unsafe vehicles.
5 live Investigates joins the inspectors uncovering this alarming new trend which they say is being driven by European haulage companies setting drivers increasingly difficult targets. We’ll also hear concerns from the police who say many drivers are using drugs to stay awake.
Simple way to stop this and would generate millions for the British economy,set up hire stations full of U.K. registered tractor units at every port…don’t allow any foreign drivers to leave the port until he has dropped his unit and hooked up to a UK registered unit that they will pay to hire for the duration of their time in the UK,would also stop the loss of fuel duty from foreign HGVs arriving here with 2 full tanks of fuel and also allow UK haulage companies to be able to compete with non U.K. Haulage companies for work.
I’ve been using drugs to stay alert since I started driving. I managed to kick the habit on one, but I can’t operate without the other one.
xichrisxi:
Simple way to stop this and would generate millions for the British economy,set up hire stations full of U.K. registered tractor units at every port…don’t allow any foreign drivers to leave the port until he has dropped his unit and hooked up to a UK registered unit that they will pay to hire for the duration of their time in the UK,would also stop the loss of fuel duty from foreign HGVs arriving here with 2 full tanks of fuel and also allow UK haulage companies to be able to compete with non U.K. Haulage companies for work.
If you are hiring by the day you would be tempted to push the limits a little to reduce the hire cost.
xichrisxi:
Simple way to stop this and would generate millions for the British economy,set up hire stations full of U.K. registered tractor units at every port…don’t allow any foreign drivers to leave the port until he has dropped his unit and hooked up to a UK registered unit that they will pay to hire for the duration of their time in the UK,would also stop the loss of fuel duty from foreign HGVs arriving here with 2 full tanks of fuel and also allow UK haulage companies to be able to compete with non U.K. Haulage companies for work.
Or just swap units with a Brit on their way out, it would also cut out side swipes etc!
eurotrans:
xichrisxi:
Simple way to stop this and would generate millions for the British economy,set up hire stations full of U.K. registered tractor units at every port…don’t allow any foreign drivers to leave the port until he has dropped his unit and hooked up to a UK registered unit that they will pay to hire for the duration of their time in the UK,would also stop the loss of fuel duty from foreign HGVs arriving here with 2 full tanks of fuel and also allow UK haulage companies to be able to compete with non U.K. Haulage companies for work.If you are hiring by the day you would be tempted to push the limits a little to reduce the hire cost.
That’s fine,have their tachos checked when they return the unit and fine them accordingly too…more money for the uk economy 
Only 450 they should have tried harder in the 80s and 90s I’m sure there were more than that running around 
. Come on diesel dog this thread was made for you
xichrisxi:
Simple way to stop this and would generate millions for the British economy,set up hire stations full of U.K. registered tractor units at every port…don’t allow any foreign drivers to leave the port until he has dropped his unit and hooked up to a UK registered unit that they will pay to hire for the duration of their time in the UK,would also stop the loss of fuel duty from foreign HGVs arriving here with 2 full tanks of fuel and also allow UK haulage companies to be able to compete with non U.K. Haulage companies for work.
A bit like chucking out the baby with the bathwater I reckon Chris.
I don’t doubt that there are many E.Euro unscrupulous hauliers on the make, but why punish the Dutch, the Belgians, the Germans or any other Western Euro nationality, under the ‘foreigner’ umbrella.
I would bet a months wage that the vast majority of those country’s operators are as legit as most UK operators, in my experience anyway.
Better just to hang out the cowboys to dry in a big way, confiscate and scrap their trucks for a start for causing potential carnage on our roads due to over tired drivers.
robroy:
xichrisxi:
Simple way to stop this and would generate millions for the British economy,set up hire stations full of U.K. registered tractor units at every port…don’t allow any foreign drivers to leave the port until he has dropped his unit and hooked up to a UK registered unit that they will pay to hire for the duration of their time in the UK,would also stop the loss of fuel duty from foreign HGVs arriving here with 2 full tanks of fuel and also allow UK haulage companies to be able to compete with non U.K. Haulage companies for work.A bit like chucking out the baby with the bathwater I reckon Chris.
I don’t doubt that there are many E.Euro unscrupulous hauliers on the make, but why punish the Dutch, the Belgians, the Germans or any other Western Euro nationality, under the ‘foreigner’ umbrella.
I would bet a months wage that the vast majority of those country’s operators are as legit as most UK operators, in my experience anyway.
Better just to hang out the cowboys to dry in a big way, confiscate and scrap their trucks for a start for causing potential carnage on our roads due to over tired drivers.
Very true about most EU drivers being legit and as good as if not better than some UK ones…my idea is 99% targeted at ensuring Uk haulage firms can compete with EU counterparts for U.K. Based work.
Why don’t they just check them straight off the boat?
You’ve got them bottlenecked then. Then they could just impound and scrap the vehicle and the trailer would then have to be arranged to be moved to destination by a UK haulier. Would deter them from trying it in the first place.
Aurri:
Why don’t they just check them straight off the boat?You’ve got them bottlenecked then. Then they could just impound and scrap the vehicle and the trailer would then have to be arranged to be moved to destination by a UK haulier. Would deter them from trying it in the first place.
The wheel tappers, etc do have a purge at odd times in the ferry ports. Theres not enough inspectors or time to check every single vehicle coming here. Sorting out, and inspecting, the "dodgy looking" ones plus a random selection of others still takes a long time. [gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... evised.pdf](https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/646188/port-freight-statistics-2016-revised.pdf) Looks to me (p14) like theres 3m unaac and 4m powered movements a year in 2016.
So half must be in and half out? Thats still 3.5m import moves to check a year. Or if only powered ones, 2m in. Assuming, (guessing) 75% foreign, thats 1,500,000 foreign trucks a year to check. About 30,000 a week. Bit of overtime there for someone, and a long wait getting out of the port gate for us all.
Aurri:
Why don’t they just check them straight off the boat?You’ve got them bottlenecked then. Then they could just impound and scrap the vehicle and the trailer would then have to be arranged to be moved to destination by a UK haulier. Would deter them from trying it in the first place.
What, every foreign truck coming off every UK ferry? 
Yeh right !
eurotrans:
Only 450 they should have tried harder in the 80s and 90s I’m sure there were more than that running around
they must not be counting the boat traffic in those figures.no need to take drugs or proplus and red bull.just watch a good movie,or stick your head out the window and sing a song at about 68mph while tipping a water bottle into one eye at a time works well enough.
theres always the tried and tested of phoning your mate about 4 in the morning and talking pish for an hour till the tiredness wears off.
they can find all the “interuptors” that they like,as its only mostly the taliban that have them,id do fine so long as they keep on not being able to find the magic happy buttons. 
“The results of falling asleep at the wheel of 44-tonne lorry can be devastating to families and communities,” a spokeswoman said.
Well at least shes not trying to whip up the public into hysterics and sway their opinion eh
xichrisxi:
Simple way to stop this and would generate millions for the British economy,set up hire stations full of U.K. registered tractor units at every port…don’t allow any foreign drivers to leave the port until he has dropped his unit and hooked up to a UK registered unit that they will pay to hire for the duration of their time in the UK,would also stop the loss of fuel duty from foreign HGVs arriving here with 2 full tanks of fuel and also allow UK haulage companies to be able to compete with non U.K. Haulage companies for work.
And if this happens on the way in, what about UK registered truck on the way out?
Can’t see some of the people I work for being to impressed having to trust their expensive trailers or loads to another haulier?
The-Snowman:
“The results of falling asleep at the wheel of 44-tonne lorry can be devastating to families and communities,” a spokeswoman said.Well at least shes not trying to whip up the public into hysterics and sway their opinion eh
Couldn’t help but notice that myself, came to the conclusion that the item was about HGVs, but still seemed like an ill-considered thing to say.
What struck me was the comment about HGV Driver Hours being strictly controlled… mmmmmm… well perhaps we need to look more at the effects of the outrageously long hours - written down in EU Law, clearly created with the profits of bigger companies over life and safety.
As a small operator, I would welcome greater restrictions. Yes, this would increase the demand for drivers and maybe impact the already difficult situation of finding good quality drivers, but if we wound back to a maximum of 12 hour working days… it’s a level playing field and one that could be enforced.
Seems to me, the simple solution to cheating drivers could easily be overcome with technology. Fit a tracker to every HGV, purely for the purpose of reporting illegal activity… be that working regulations or tampering. Those of us playing a straight hand should have nothing to worry about such technology… no more than we should concern ourselves about CCTV.
15 hour days is just plain wrong!
The DVSA suspect that some operators may be pressuring drivers to run bent, you don’t say 
. I may have pulled the odd stunt in the past (strictly legal these days) but the boss always knew what was going on, no one did it for the hell of it because the penalties were harsh even back in the 90s