I considered it an emergency and that would be my defence, if they really wanted to give it to me then so be it I guess ya live and learn
Young_AL:
Passed a truck this morning M1 S/B at j26 I looked over I swear he was supping a bottle of wine. I slowed down to get another look and yeah I reckon he was so phones the plod up just as were passing trowell services expect a cop car to come racing out to stop this truck! I gave reg make/model and company name
She asked me my name and address and that was it.
Followed this truck all the way down until I come off for the A42/M42 he carried on on the M1. Never saw any cops or anything!! Waste of time that was eh!?
Join the Police force. Someone with your level of community spirit is wasted driving a truck.
Mike-C:
Young_AL:
Passed a truck this morning M1 S/B at j26 I looked over I swear he was supping a bottle of wine. I slowed down to get another look and yeah I reckon he was so phones the plod up just as were passing trowell services expect a cop car to come racing out to stop this truck! I gave reg make/model and company name
She asked me my name and address and that was it.
Followed this truck all the way down until I come off for the A42/M42 he carried on on the M1. Never saw any cops or anything!! Waste of time that was eh!?Join the Police force. Someone with your level of community spirit is wasted driving a truck.
having a proper cork don’t make
a decent wine according to an expert I
heard composite is the best type of
stopper.
For what its worth I dont think you made the wrong call. The guy may of been pulled and may of been totally innocent, on the other hand he may of been sloshed and an accident waiting to happen.
We had to sack a guy last month - whom we suspected of being a drinker due to the dominant smell of TCP. I was sent out with him for a morning to see if we could prove - only to arrive back in the office smelling as if id been in A and E. Next day we were doing tacho downloads and realised for the 3 weeks he worked for us, we didnt have any for him. I was sent out to download his card en route. He went straight past me - but we caught up with him at the next junction. It was one of the windiest days this year, and even stood on the bridge over J7 of the M5, he wreaked of tcp. I got his download back to the office and we viewed.
OMG! his tacho’s were shocking! 5hrs 34 without stopping driving was the most severe! the offences were numerous. We decided to pull him back to yard for a “debrief” the next day. We got a phone call from a customer first thing to say that we had had a contaminated load of sand - with barley. Guess which driver? We ordered him back to base - as they had loaded sand back on to him - we had no choice.
When he arrived and came into the office he smelt very strongly of alchohol - it was 11am! We offered him a breath test - but this was declined - our hand was then forced!
Now we dont know what his alchohol levels were, but I bet he would have failed a roadside test. Did we do the wrong thing? No - I wouldnt of wanted him driving anywhere near members of my family, in that state.
So yes you did do the right thing.
Midnight Rambler:
I take it you called plod useing hands free because the’ve got your name and address
making an Emergency call using a mobile phone whilst driving is not an offence …
> When you can use a phone in your vehicle
>
> If you’re the driver, you can only use your phone in a vehicle if you:
>
> need to call 999 or 112 in an emergency and it’s unsafe or impractical to stop
>
>
> are safely parked
and just to add
Using hands-free devices when driving
You can use hands-free phones, sat navs and 2-way radios when you’re driving or riding. But if the police think you’re distracted and not in control of your vehicle you could still get stopped and penalised.
The but rule would mean they would have to show you were NOT in control .
lightning:
For what its worth I dont think you made the wrong call. The guy may of been pulled and may of been totally innocent, on the other hand he may of been sloshed and an accident waiting to happen.
We had to sack a guy last month - whom we suspected of being a drinker due to the dominant smell of TCP. I was sent out with him for a morning to see if we could prove - only to arrive back in the office smelling as if id been in A and E. Next day we were doing tacho downloads and realised for the 3 weeks he worked for us, we didnt have any for him. I was sent out to download his card en route. He went straight past me - but we caught up with him at the next junction. It was one of the windiest days this year, and even stood on the bridge over J7 of the M5, he wreaked of tcp. I got his download back to the office and we viewed.
OMG! his tacho’s were shocking! 5hrs 34 without stopping driving was the most severe! the offences were numerous. We decided to pull him back to yard for a “debrief” the next day. We got a phone call from a customer first thing to say that we had had a contaminated load of sand - with barley. Guess which driver? We ordered him back to base - as they had loaded sand back on to him - we had no choice.
When he arrived and came into the office he smelt very strongly of alchohol - it was 11am! We offered him a breath test - but this was declined - our hand was then forced!
Now we dont know what his alchohol levels were, but I bet he would have failed a roadside test. Did we do the wrong thing? No - I wouldnt of wanted him driving anywhere near members of my family, in that state.
So yes you did do the right thing.
so why had the company NOT done a download sooner and spotted the offences?? this could have been addressed sooner
nick2008:
lightning:
For what its worth I dont think you made the wrong call. The guy may of been pulled and may of been totally innocent, on the other hand he may of been sloshed and an accident waiting to happen.
We had to sack a guy last month - whom we suspected of being a drinker due to the dominant smell of TCP. I was sent out with him for a morning to see if we could prove - only to arrive back in the office smelling as if id been in A and E. Next day we were doing tacho downloads and realised for the 3 weeks he worked for us, we didnt have any for him. I was sent out to download his card en route. He went straight past me - but we caught up with him at the next junction. It was one of the windiest days this year, and even stood on the bridge over J7 of the M5, he wreaked of tcp. I got his download back to the office and we viewed.
OMG! his tacho’s were shocking! 5hrs 34 without stopping driving was the most severe! the offences were numerous. We decided to pull him back to yard for a “debrief” the next day. We got a phone call from a customer first thing to say that we had had a contaminated load of sand - with barley. Guess which driver? We ordered him back to base - as they had loaded sand back on to him - we had no choice.
When he arrived and came into the office he smelt very strongly of alchohol - it was 11am! We offered him a breath test - but this was declined - our hand was then forced!
Now we dont know what his alchohol levels were, but I bet he would have failed a roadside test. Did we do the wrong thing? No - I wouldnt of wanted him driving anywhere near members of my family, in that state.
So yes you did do the right thing.so why had the company NOT done a download sooner and spotted the offences?? this could have been addressed sooner
Fair point. We do our tachos every 2x month, and with the fact that he only joined us that should of been the case. But his first weekend saw him parked up at sheffield, with a hire car back home. He would of just picked his paperwork and gone home, we had not done analysis before for him so at the next check of them he was picked up as not downloading.
lightning:
Fair point. We do our tachos every 2x month, and with the fact that he only joined us that should of been the case. But his first weekend saw him parked up at sheffield, with a hire car back home. He would of just picked his paperwork and gone home, we had not done analysis before for him so at the next check of them he was picked up as not downloading.
Better off when a driver pulls in the yard maybe once a week if he’s getting notes etc would be to download his card.
we do ours after every shift.I know that’s easy because we’re back at base every day.
Young_AL:
Passed a truck this morning M1 S/B at j26 I looked over I swear he was supping a bottle of wine. I slowed down to get another look and yeah I reckon he was so phones the plod up just as were passing trowell services expect a cop car to come racing out to stop this truck! I gave reg make/model and company name
She asked me my name and address and that was it.
Followed this truck all the way down until I come off for the A42/M42 he carried on on the M1. Never saw any cops or anything!! Waste of time that was eh!?
OK we all live and learn but in future mind your own business, there are too many people these days minding other peoples business.
Young_AL:
Maybe, but maybe it was a wine bottle who knows? It’s better to be safe than sorry
Young_AL:
Fair enough I stick me hands up, wrong call thought I was doing the right thing
We all make mistakes
lightning:
For what its worth I dont think you made the wrong call. The guy may of been pulled and may of been totally innocent, on the other hand he may of been sloshed and an accident waiting to happen.
Young Al, I agree with Lightning, you didn’t make the wrong call, you didn’t make a mistake, you did what you thought was right at that time…
If the guy had been stopped and was completely sober, he lost a few minutes of his day, if he’d been stopped and was drunk, he’d have lost his licence, if he hadn’t been stopped and was completely ■■■■■■■ then he, and possibley others, (maybe even someone on here) could have lost their lives, with all that entails for the families left behind.
I wonder how many could live with the knowledge that had they NOT reported him, then later read he’d wiped out a family…not many I’d guess.
You did the right thing, and good on you for doing it…would I do the same if I thought someone was driving a vehicle drunk, ? Dam right I would…
nick2008:
lightning:
Fair point. We do our tachos every 2x month, and with the fact that he only joined us that should of been the case. But his first weekend saw him parked up at sheffield, with a hire car back home. He would of just picked his paperwork and gone home, we had not done analysis before for him so at the next check of them he was picked up as not downloading.Better off when a driver pulls in the yard maybe once a week if he’s getting notes etc would be to download his card.
we do ours after every shift.I know that’s easy because we’re back at base every day.
All the reg drivers download at the end of the week. This new guy got back between 8pm on the friday ( thats when I left) and 0700 ( when i started) the following sat. We hadnt known he had not downloaded as the info is sent off on the following tues for analysis of upto 14 days of charts. It is then viewed the following friday. It was then that we could of picked it up but he was asked to download and we had no reason to suspect he wouldnt. The cycle starts again, and we then get to situation listed in my original statement.
lightning:
All the reg drivers download at the end of the week. This new guy got back between 8pm on the friday ( thats when I left) and 0700 ( when i started) the following sat. We hadnt known he had not downloaded as the info is sent off on the following tues for analysis of upto 14 days of charts. It is then viewed the following friday. It was then that we could of picked it up but he was asked to download and we had no reason to suspect he wouldnt. The cycle starts again, and we then get to situation listed in my original statement.
I don’t know what work uses but they download and infringements flag up immediately.
Your allowed to call police while driving if emergency.
toby1234abc:
He would be under the limit with those mini wine bottles.If you stay over at a truckstop,many drivers have a pint with their meal to unwind from the working day.
The bar maid does not say “You have had enough to drink now”.
It is their revenue.
Drivers abroad would forget where they parked the truck after a night on the town.
Driving around all night in a taxi to find the lorry.
Or in a police car in the center of verona once
I got breathalysed one morning because a car driver had reported me for swerving erratically and throwing empty bottles of wine out of the drivers window.
I was sober and the copper even said it was probably just a nimby who didn’t like wagons on the road.
Harry Monk:
More likely it was something like this you saw…
Maybe if it was 1985…could also have been a Babycham. 
Hands up if you have ever lost your dinner to the passenger
footwell monster that only appears whilst driving.
Long ago I used to feast whilst
sat upon the drivers seat.
Enroute to spain with much to
gain you had to banish the hunger pains.
Maybe a cheese sarnie or even some
salami…
But best of all a brew.
oatcake1967:
Hands up if you have ever lost your dinner to the passenger
footwell monster that only appears whilst driving.Long ago I used to feast whilst
sat upon the drivers seat.Enroute to spain with much to
gain you had to banish the hunger pains.Maybe a cheese sarnie or even some
salami…
But best of all a brew.
But by the grace of god go I
sounds like you are looking for somebody to report instead of keeping your eyes on the road. it would be fitting if you are now pulled and breathalysed / made to confess , as your name is now in the system as a drinker .