MacDoog:
As youve got a question mark there Davey I can answer your question. VOSA do not need ‘permission’ to enter premises. We can enter operators premises at any reasonable time and no notice is required. This is of course related to gaining possible evidence, impoundings etc etc. Operators visits in the course of licencing etc are obviously booked in advance.
And that now puts an end to speculation about using unroadworthy vehicles on private land 
Davey Driver:
And that now puts an end to speculation about using unroadworthy vehicles on private land
No, becouse if I have ferry terminal or business of other kind, I am not an operator, therefore VOSA have no access to my premises
But if I am an operator, I have to use roadworthy vehicles even if they do not leave my yard? So what’s about all that crappy tractors used to shunt trailers?
it may come as a suprise to some but tugs can be used on public roads within a set distance(about 1 and 3/4 miles) of 2 sites,ie for trunking between those 2 sites.they have no construction and use criteria so cannot be mot’d.the same as heavy tow trucks.
as for VOSA as a truck garage owner i have a list as long as my arm where the rules are adjusted to suit the tester,but enforcement on the road is a worry.basically if you are pulled in you can expect a pg9 or hrs prohibition.if you don’t get one it’s luck more than judgement.
a pg9 we dealt with this week was very simple but is still reported as a prohibition all the same.
we look after MAN rigids they are 18 tonnners with air suspended rear axles.when loaded the rear axle is ALWAYS at the same level regardless of the weight of the load.it is designed to stay at the same height in regard to the frame sensor adding air to the bags to adjust the level.
now the front end is on 3 leaf steel suspension and as such as you load the vehicle the front end lowers down the more you load it.when fully loaded the vehicle sits exactly level.(i know i’ve measured it).however when empty the rear suspension stays at the same level and the front rises to it’s normal level giving a look of a low rear end.it’s set to the manufacturers level.
the 3rd pg9 issued in 3 years was for air suspension not correctly inflated and affecting the operation and braking of the vehicle.after inspection at the roadside no further prohibitions were issued but one tacho fault became evident,on on of the 21 days previous vehicles(differnt truck.driver each day).
to rectify this situation the driver rang me,i asked him if any of the lights were displayed on the dash(yellow picture of the rear axle or a red z showing braking affected)none were lit.i asked hime to check the yellow switch for auto levelling on a dock-it was switched off-the normal position.i asked him to check the air suspension handset was not lit with a green light-it was off as is normal when driving.i asked him to raise the suspension to the full height and re-set the suspension which he did.the vossa then said well it’s still faulty so i asked him to look at the bags and see if they were pressurised on both sides,which they were at which point he decided to lift the prohibition which had been in place for 9 minutes,and had not been a fault in the first place.
the tacho fault which they had taken a note of was sent into the tacho agent for a calibration(again-this is a common problem now at roadside checks)where no fault was found with the head at all.
enforcement is ok but it’s not being carried out by mechanically minded people in all cases-a majority of them are university graduates.
I’m my opinion SOME vosa staff do go over the top with still little things, we have a truck fail because the bottom of the air dryer was damp with oil, witch is what the air dryer is meant to do, so that cost £250 for a new air dryer that’s not needed, when it went back for retest the inspector said it shouldn’t have been a fail. 
Another failed because the side under run has normal 8mm bolts and they should be rounded, if they looked 12 inches up the wagon the are 2 sets of 10 wheel studs (its an 8 legger), why this couldn’t be an advisory i can’t work out.
Its a few jobs worth’s that give VOSA a bad reputation.
Rant over
8 legger
The open laptop is ridicolous and the centre table even more so!, If i have an open book on the bed behind me does this mean ive been lying on my bed having a read■■?, Should i take off the mirrors because they create blindspots and suggest ive been looking behind me whilst driving forwards, Should i remove the speedometer because i`ve been staring at it instead of the road??, Common sense has well and truly gone out the window!!!
Heading to Holyhead last tuesday running a bit late but enought time to catch ferry came up the A41 to A55 just before it heads off at Queensferry Mr Vosa sat sat on bridge, wasn’t speeding or anything brings me for spot check wastes Half-hour of my time nothing wrong everything clean. Tell them I’ve got Live Chicks on board and its welfare issue if I miss the Ferry they speed up! 
Make the Ferry with 5mins to spare. Don’t want that hassle again. Guess because its an Irish reg lorry was why I was pulled was only irish and dutch lorries they pulled. Not one UK plate 
!!!
Sid 
Re in cab tables, I work for a relatively large haulage company, operating MAN TGAs, ours being a 56 reg. About 18 months ago we were given an instruction which I am led to believe came from MAN to remove the incab tables due to the restricted vision.
I can only guess that while the table is empty it doesnt cause a problem, but the fact that it is there means the driver may leave things on it which may reduce the field of vision?
Cant say as I am that bothered by VOSA, if your operating clean you have nothing to worry about.
If pulled by VOSA a fault will be found ,our vehicles are made up of many thousands of components.
After checking tyres,brakes ,lights and paper work they have to dig deeper and "find"a fault .It merely causes expense and frustration for owners and operators who are having a hard enough time of it.
welltin:
Cant say as I am that bothered by VOSA, if your operating clean you have nothing to worry about.
Although i’m sure you aint bothered by them, as demonstrated in this thread they will get things wrong. Maybe only little things like removing your HGV entitelment when they don’t have the authority or excuse to do so and putting your vehicle off the road when they needn’t have. Sure, we have nothing to worry about, well apart from the fact we have on spot fines coming soon. Of course the VOSA guys will use their discresion again and we won’t have much to worry about, they’re all trained humanitarians
I hope i’m not going too off topic here but it is relevant i think, if only due to the fact that the DfT where thinking or trying to find ways to privatise what we now know as vosa.They decided they are not going to privatise it.
Liverpool City Council used to run a licensing and testing regime for taxis, still do. Up until about 10 years ago it was all done at the citys ‘Breckside Park’ depot. The place was legend, they had a different fad every year for different things. One year it was loose king pins, another it was overspray in the door jams, smoke on the head lining, paint didn’t match on panels, the list goes on and on. Thats aside from the fact that brand new vehicles where failing their emmisions test, until everyone got wise to the fact of screwing the the fuel jet in on the pump so the vehicle drove like a bag of ■■■■ and then undone it after it passed. Now the regime has changed, you can have your taxi cab (Hackney or Private hire car) tested at any MOT station. You no longer get penalised for stupid things as above, or cigarette burns on your seat, in general they pass a hell of a lot more. That gets us to the guy who mentioned the air drier problem a few posts back. What do you do if you know you’re right? Waste a lot of time and money proving it or just replace the air drier?
Yes its good to have VOSA checking us, and seeing as we pay the government to provide the service then yes its good for us to criticise the service where we think its failing. If you follow the premise that without VOSA operators and drivers will do what they can get away with, then the same follows for VOSA. Ultimatley, i pay their wages they don’t pay mine so i expect more of a say.
To strike a balance between Pro and Anti. My first post on this subject was about the jobsworths and peaked cap schoolboys who were bullied at school.
I can also see the other side of what VOSA are up against when someone asks why a powered up open laptop on a wooden shelf in the windscreen is a problem.
Common sense has to be used, I am not a cab happy trucker any longer, it pays me a good wage for a simple job and I can sit down all day. However if it wasn’t for VOSA or an equivalent enforcement agency, it would be anarchy on our roads. Trucks with frilly curtains pulled so far across that mirrors are obscured, lorries with so many spot lights that the truck has to be jump started after a 45 minute break. A truck with nothing more serious than a blown headlight bulb still looks like a GSXR 1000 at 3am on a wet morning to a tired sales rep.
Me. I want to take my chance on the road using the experience I have gained over the years, if there is something that VOSA disagree with. I prefer to take my punishment in open court using expert witnesses if necessary. Some of the things that VOSA target are ridiculous but there are too many posts on TN that say VOSA fined me for this. They nicked me for that when the case will be heard by a magistrate. I stand by an earlier post about there being a specialist court with like minded specialists.
Wheel Nut:
I can also see the other side of what VOSA are up against when someone asks why a powered up open laptop on a wooden shelf in the windscreen is a problem.Common sense has to be used,
Sure it has. And since when was traffic offences the vocation of VOSA officers? They are there to check licences/licensing and vehicle condition and hours, not every single specific possible offence. We’ve already had the case of a dog warden being responsible for prosecuting a tipper driver in North Wales for littering and smoking in his cab (littering was throwing his ciggarette ■■■■ out the window) whilst on his break. How much power do we need to give to civil servants in the line of there duty? If somethings blocking the drivers view then thats it, it should be immaterial to them if its powered on or off or even if it doesn’t work, they aint police doing an investigation nor do they have their powers.
The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) provides a range of licensing, testing and enforcement services with the aim of improving the roadworthiness standards of vehicles ensuring the compliance of operators and drivers, and supporting the independent Traffic Commissioners.
That is taken directly from the back of a VOSA booklet. As operators or drivers we agree to some kind of regulation when we apply for a vocational licence or more so when we apply to operate inscope vehicles.
The difference with this thread is that VOSA are doing their job and the bloke with the laptop isn’t Polish.
Wheel Nut:
The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) provides a range of licensing, testing and enforcement services with the aim of improving the roadworthiness standards of vehicles ensuring the compliance of operators and drivers, and supporting the independent Traffic Commissioners.That is taken directly from the back of a VOSA booklet. As operators or drivers we agree to some kind of regulation when we apply for a vocational licence or more so when we apply to operate inscope vehicles.
I never like to quote to much. But seeing as we are hows this for a quote then too…
Taken from the RHA, Drivers Handbook, section …Driver Fatigue…
when going to sleep, take simple measures like taking the phone off the hook, letting delivery people know that there is a shift worker sleeping , or putting a “Do not disturb” on the bedroom door.
Wheel Nut:
The difference with this thread is that VOSA are doing their job and the bloke with the laptop isn’t Polish.
Stop perpetuating urban myths,i’ve never heard of one Polish driver being done for a laptop offence. We’ll see how good VOSA do the job we pay them to do when they introduce questionares that review the level of service we recieve when stopped. Just like every other government department do…
Mike-C:
We’ve already had the case of a dog warden being responsible for prosecuting a tipper driver in North Wales for littering and smoking in his cab (littering was throwing his ciggarette ■■■■ out the window)
That’s because they are no longer dog wardens, you no longer have parking wardens or anti-smoking wardens or litter wardens. They have all been lumped together and are now called “Civil Enforcement Officers” (CEO). These people have a raft of powers to enable them to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of your life!! 
Mike. I quoted the back of the VOSA booklet as you seem to think they don’t have any enforcement powers. VOSA must be the only civilians who can do a vehicle stop on the motorway without relying on a blue light and a warrant card. I think it is the job of DVLA to issue and check driving licences while VOSA are more interested in Operator Licensing. I started a thread on here last year wanting more police. I want more fair enforcement not less. No one is asking for civil servants with an abuse of power.
The same operators who we all work for and without a threat of enforcement would have conditions of work harking back to the Victorian mill owners. In my earlier thread I said that some do abuse a power, but for me I would sooner have them around then “the deliver at 8am or you can clear your cab” companies that I certainly have worked for and I’m sure you have too. You must have also heard the rant about knowing where the gate is.
As you seem to think that the Polish driver with the laptop is an urban myth. I took that example from these TN forums. How many posts are there about smelly Eastern Bloc drivers overtaking in the 3rd lane, with no wing tops and a recently damaged cab? How many of these posts normally finish with a “yeah and he was having a crap while watching star trek as well”
Ive never heard of a driver done for having a laptop in the window either, but again there are many stories, even on this thread about being told to remove them.
Well Good!
Wheel Nut:
Mike. I quoted the back of the VOSA booklet as you seem to think they don’t have any enforcement powers. VOSA must be the only civilians who can do a vehicle stop on the motorway without relying on a blue light and a warrant card. I think it is the job of DVLA to issue and check driving licences while VOSA are more interested in Operator Licensing. I started a thread on here last year wanting more police. I want more fair enforcement not less. No one is asking for civil servants with an abuse of power.The same operators who we all work for and without a threat of enforcement would have conditions of work harking back to the Victorian mill owners. In my earlier thread I said that some do abuse a power, but for me I would sooner have them around then “the deliver at 8am or you can clear your cab” companies that I certainly have worked for and I’m sure you have too. You must have also heard the rant about knowing where the gate is.
As you seem to think that the Polish driver with the laptop is an urban myth. I took that example from these TN forums. How many posts are there about smelly Eastern Bloc drivers overtaking in the 3rd lane, with no wing tops and a recently damaged cab? How many of these posts normally finish with a “yeah and he was having a crap while watching star trek as well”
Ive never heard of a driver done for having a laptop in the window either, but again there are many stories, even on this thread about being told to remove them.
Well Good!
Hi there was one that got done for whatching tv
I know i’m just a new boy but i have just got to comment on this! We recently had a truck pulled at a VOSA check point. They managed to find something wrong and duly issued a prohibition, no problem with that, if there is something wrong its my responsiblity. Although truck and trailer were due inspection 2 days later! Anyway my gripe is that the quickest we could get the trailer inspected was 8 days later and the truck 10 days. If the examiners are going to hand out Prohabitions like confetti they need to get the other end of their business in order, the new booking system is a complete joke.
Wheel Nut:
VOSA must be the only civilians who can do a vehicle stop on the motorway without relying on a blue light and a warrant card.
We can stop vehicles on the motorway for safety reasons, we do so without a blue light or warrant card.
delboytwo:
Hi there was one that got done for whatching tv
This particular one doasn’t seems to be polish:
Sci-fi fan Benjamin Trotman
Or his real name was Beniamin Trotmański maybe?
This one’s a paddy.