Rattlesnake Dave:
Rob K:
In reply to Simon and Willy, how does itexonerate
Gefco (and the company you’re referring to Willy), from using driver’s that aren’t breaching the hours regs? Any fool can sign a bit of paper. The chances of them checking with the agency that the driver in question is legally able to work the hours required are about the same chances as me visiting the moon in my lifetime.
Rob, can you explain what is it about an employed driver that stops him breaking the law by working for an agency when he should be having his weekly rest, and what it is about agency drivers that apparently makes it the sole purpose in life (or so it seems reading some of these threads) to break the law? If someone wants to work more hours and break the law they will, it will not make any difference whether they are permanently employed or not. And I doubt if Digital Tachograph’s will make any difference either. You can introduce as many laws as you like but if you don’t have anyone to enforce them, they aint gonna make anything any better!
I haven’t done anything else for a job but drive trucks since 1967 and I can count on two hands the times I’ve been stopped or had any sort of check done by the authorities, and about seven of these occasions were in Kent in the 70’s when I was on International work. The last time was in Wealdstone, Middlesex in 1988 at about 07.45 and that was by a beat copper who had just been on a course and wanted to put some of his newly acquired knowledge into practice.
I wouldn’t want the police or VOSA to hound professional drivers but I think we have to accept that if there isn’t any body monitoring the transport industry, things can only get worse. There’s nothing like a hefty fine or the prospect of loosing your licence, and therefore your living, to make people think twice about breaking the law. At the moment the chances of getting caught are slim. Just note how many vehicles pass you every day that obviously haven’t got a working speed limiter fitted, and you don’t need any special equipment to identify these vehicles. Even though the limiter legislation has been around for nearly 20 years, little, if anything, is done to curb these companies.
Er, in answer to your question to me, I think you’ve answered it yourself in your next two paragraph’s 
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their the sort of people who turn a blind eye or pay lip service to saftey just look at the amount of agency drivers they use at the weekend many will have worked for a regular employer during the week…( i know this can be done legally but how often is it )
All these Qoute boxes are confusing me, I can’t make out who wrote what…It’s all ebbing away…