Vans working across borders subject to O-licensing
New laws requiring van operators to obtain operator licences if they undertake international work with vehicles less than 3.5-tonnes could be the start of a licensing…
Relaxed enforcement of drivers’ hours extended again – Get the full facts
The Department for Transport (DfT) announced a new relaxation of the enforcement of drivers’ hours in England, Scotland and Wales. The temporary relaxation started from 12:01am…
DVSA name top drivers’ hours offenders
During road safety week the DVSA published a list of operators committing drivers’ hours offences in the UK. The list includes thousands of operators based in…
Temporary relaxation of enforcement of drivers’ hours extended.
The temporary relaxation of the enforcement of the retained EU drivers’ hours rules for all road haulage sectors in Great Britain has been extended until 3…
Temporary relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours
The DfT announced a temporary relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’ hours rules for all road haulage sectors in Great Britain from 12:01am on 12…
In a recent case reported in Commercial Motor a sole trader found using a dead brother’s digital tachograph drivers card to exceed drivers’ hours limits has…
Temporary relaxation of the enforcement of drivers’ hours due to Brexit and Covid-19
The Department for Transport has published two temporary relaxations of the enforcement of drivers’ hours rules. The first is in response to the exceptional pressures on…
Changes to drivers’ hours and tachograph rules
As of 20 August 2020, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced some changes to the EU drivers’ hours and tachograph rules which were effective from that…
Temporary relaxation of EU drivers’ hours now ended
A temporary relaxation of the EU drivers’ hours rules for a 30-day period, for drivers was announced on 18 March 2020 to help with COVID-19. The…
Relaxed enforcement of drivers’ hours extended to end of May 2020
Following discussions between road haulage representatives and the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, the DfT announced that the current temporary relaxation of the enforcement of EU drivers’…
DVSA suspends periodic tachograph calibrations
To help operators during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has decided to suspend periodic tachograph calibrations and inspections on vehicles.…
Coach firm loses licence for drivers’ hours abuses
A “dangerous” coach firm that operated school runs and carried professional sports teams in Hampshire has had its licence revoked by a traffic commissioner. The firm…
New rules on drivers’ working conditions are coming
Updated rules from the EU to fight illegal practices in road transport and to help improve drivers’ employment conditions were approved by the Transport Committee in…
Devices for tampering with drivers’ hours found in HGVs
Police in Nottinghamshire have found 6 tachograph manipulation devices fitted in HGVs since January 2018. The devices are used to interfere with the recording of drivers’…
Fines of up to £1,500 for historic commercial drivers’ hours offences
New rules mean the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will be able to issue on-the-spot fines for any drivers’ hours offences committed in the previous 28…
The BBC reported on an increase in tachograph tampering in the UK roads with over 440 HGVs crossing into the UK last year with manipulated tachographs.…
Driving tired is ‘worse than being on drugs’
According to recent research, driving in state of fatigue has contributed to more road accidents in Great Britain than those impaired by taking drugs. The study…
A HGV driver has been disqualified from professional driving until June 2038 after his driver card was used by another employee to commit serious offences. The…
Three year ban for falsifying drivers’ hours & tachograph records
An HGV driver was banned from professional driving for three years after falsifying drivers’ hours and tachograph records. Government inspectors had found that the driver used…
Banned for 3 years for vehicle maintenance & drivers’ hours infringements
The director of a Birmingham builders’ has been banned from operating HGVs for three years for showing no interest in vehicle and driver safety standards. The…
Weekly Rest Period Clarification for HGV drivers’ hours
A statement by the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice has advised that a ‘normal’ 45-hour weekend break cannot count as ‘rest’ for tachograph…
Banned, licence revoked and fined for drivers’ hours and tachograph offences
A haulier and transport manager that demonstrated “poor in the extreme” knowledge of drivers’ hours and tachograph compliance will lose his operating licence from 3 February…
Disqualified for encouraging drivers to commit drivers’ hours offences
The director of a haulage firm with operations in Shrewsbury and Coalville has been disqualified for two years after the Traffic Commissioner for the West Midlands,…
Paying the ultimate price after encouraging drivers to work excessive hours
Paying the ultimate price after encouraging drivers to work excessive hours
Disqualified for five years for drivers’ hours offences
A South Wales operator was disqualified by Traffic Commissioner for Wales, Nick Jones, for five years after committing over 100 driver’ hours offences. The owner operator…
12 month ban for drivers’ hours offences
A HGV driver has been given a 12-month ban by Nick Denton, the Traffic Commissioner for the South East and Metropolitan area, after he illegally used…
New guidance on drivers’ hours and tachographs
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has updated the published guidance on drivers’ hours and tachographs. The guidance is for drivers and road transport operators…
Descartes will showcase the new SmartAlerts enhancement to its SmartCompliance Software-as-a-Service products at this year’s Commercial Vehicle (CV) Show. Road transport operators visiting stand 4H20 at…
A HGV driver who broke drivers’ hours rules has been disqualified from professional driving for a year. The driver was found to have driven excessive hours…
Relaxation of drivers’ hours due to Forth Road Bridge closure extended
The relaxation of drivers’ hours because of the 50 mile detour caused by the closure of the Forth Road Bridge has been extended to 15th February…
HGV driver disqualified for poor records and ignoring breaks
A West Midlands HGV driver was been disqualified for over twelve months for failing to observe required breaks and keeping poor records. The Traffic Commissioner for…
False tachograph records shrinks the fleet for coach operator
A coach operator has had its fleet cut from 91 to just 35 vehicles following a Public Inquiry with the Traffic Commissioner for the North of…
Tachograph cheat is banned for three years
An Aberdeen-based owner-operator has had his O-licence revoked and been disqualified from driving HGVs for three years after using magnets to interrupt digital tachograph recordings. The…
False tachograph records lead to busload of problems for coach firm
A coach operator, whose staff were prosecuted at Crown-Court over false tachograph records is now facing a two-day public inquiry in Leeds on December 1. The…
O-licence revoked for drivers’ hours offences
Numerous records and drivers’ hours offences led to a haulage firm based in Motherwell being stripped of its O-licence. The offences were unearthed by the DVSA…
Temporary relaxation of drivers’ hours
The Department for Transport (DfT) has agreed to a temporary relaxation of EU drivers’ hours rules to help drivers that are delayed due to industrial action…
Haulage firm shut down over drivers’ hours breach
Banned from running haulage firm after failing to give drivers rest breaks to comply with drivers’ hours requirements. Joan Aitken stripped the Operator Licence for Heavy…
Suspended prison sentences for breaching tachograph and drivers’ hours regulations
A coach driver admits falsifying tachograph records and was handed out a six-month jail sentence suspended for two years and ordered to pay £500 costs after…
Tachograph rules changed for Farmers
From March 2015 farmers no longer need a tachograph fitted to their vehicles if the distance travelled is less than 100km from their operating base. Before…
Banned for life by Traffic Commissioner
The owners of two Maidstone haulage companies have been banned for life after an inquiry heard how their behaviour put road users at risk. The two…
HGV driver fined £1000 for tachograph offences
A HGV driver has been fined £1,000 for tachograph and drivers’ hours offences after admitting thirteen charges when he appeared at Perth Sheriff Court. On 11 dates in March…
Haulage director disqualified for three years
The director of a Sheerness-based haulage firm was disqualified for three years from 28 January for breaching several safety and licensing standards. The director was found…
Tachograph rules to change for local journeys
From 2 March 2015 a new European regulation – EU 165/2014 (PDF 2 MB) – will replace EEC 3821/85, setting out requirements for the construction, installation,…
School coach service suspended for drivers’ hours infringements
A Coach firm providing transport for school children was suspended for two weeks for ‘significant shortfalls’ in drivers’ hours records management. The coach operator was found…
HGV Driver Fined £1000 for failing to take a break
A County Down Commercial Goods Vehicle Operator was fined a total of £1,000 at Omagh Magistrates’ Court for tachograph (drivers’ hours) offences. The charges came after…
Haulage firm to pay almost £2,500 after admitting drivers’ hours offences
D Jenkins and Son and five of the company’s drivers appeared in court on charges of failing to take the regulatory required rest breaks following an…
Gist Expands Use of Cloud-Based Descartes Smartanalysis™ for European Road Transport Compliance
Descartes Systems Group today announced that Gist, a leading supply chain services provider, has expanded its use of Descartes Smartanalysis™, a tachograph analysis and compliance management solution,…
Banned for faking tachograph and drivers’ hours records
Twelve former employees of a north Cumbrian road haulage operator have been banned from professional driving after faking their tachograph and drivers’ hours records, following conduct…
Transport Manager disqualified for 5 years
Stephen Drever-Marshall, the nominated Transport Manager on two licences – in the North of England was disqualified by North East Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney for five…
Haulier suspended for drivers’ hours offences & false records
A Telford haulage operator has been suspended from running HGVs after Traffic Commissioner Nick Jones found that drivers had driven excessive hours, broken speed limits and…
The Department for Transport is seeking comments on their proposals to change the legislation to allow roadside enforcement officers to issue fixed penalty notices and financial…
ILT increases fines for tachograph infringements in Netherlands
The Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) recently announced that the fines for manipulation of the tachograph will go up sharply. TLN the Dutch Association for Transport…
Transport Manager loses his repute over CPC training & drivers’ hours infringements
A Transport Manager recently lost his repute indefinitely for failing to make sure his drivers had started their Driver CPC training and the drivers’ hours infringements…
HGV Driver banned for false tachograph records and drivers’ hours infringements
The HGV driver was called to the Deputy Traffic Commissioner in Edinburgh in February after the authorities reported him for drivers’ hours infringements. He was originally…
HGV drivers fined £34,410 in crack down on drivers’ hours and tachograph offences
A partnership operation by the police and VOSA over three weeks during November and December 2013 in Devon and Cornwall called Operation Fatigue resulted in fines…
HGV driver fined £900 for drivers’ hours offences
A HGV driver was given on-the-spot fines totalling £900 after he tried to falsify his drivers’ hours record. The driver was stopped on 13 December during…
Waste disposal firm penalised for drivers’ hours offences
Scotland’s Traffic Commissioner, Joan Aitkin ruled on 3 October that Dow Waste Management will be prevented from expanding for 12 months. The company’s operations are to…
Fixed penalties increased from 16 August
Department for Transport announced that fixed penalty levels will increase from 16 August 2013. Graduated fixed penalties and financial deposits for vans, trucks and buses are…
Lifetime ban for haulier after tampering with tachograph for a second time
Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken informed George Davidson that he would be disqualified from driving HGVs and could not re-apply for his professional licence until his 75th…
Fined over £40,000 for drivers’ hours offences
Following a VOSA investigation, Ian John Trussler, a partner and transport manager; and Kenneth Trussler, a partner of Goldline Taxis and Coaches both received suspended prison…
Fees to be increased for graduated fixed penalties
The Department for Transport have announced that fixed penalty levels will increase from July 2013. The increases affects most motoring fixed penalties offences, graduated fixed penalties…
£300,000 fine and £150,000 in costs for falsifying driver records
Former Director of Alba Transport of Halifax, Danny Steven Sawrij, was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £150,000 in costs for falsifying driver records at Kirklees…
HGV driver jailed for tampering with tachograph
A Belgian HGV driver was jailed on Tues 28 May for attempting to hide the fact that he had not taken the required rest period before…
Fines of up to €7,500 imposed on Irish operators breaking drivers’ hours rules
The authorities in Ireland continue to focus on enforcement of drivers’ hours rules with road transport operators. Up to 20th April more than 30 transport companies…
Temporary relaxation of drivers’ hours for LPG deliveries
Due to a shortage of Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) the Department for Transport (DfT) has temporarily relaxed drivers’ hours and working time rules. The relaxation only…
£1,500 fine for tachograph and drivers’ hours offences
A haulage company was fined a total of £1,500 and ordered to pay court courts at North Antrim Magistrates’ Court on Fri 1st March. Patrick Bradley…
£2,500 fine for failing to produce drivers’ hours and tachograph records
A Co Armagh haulage company was fined £2,500 at Dungannon Magistrates’ Court on Monday 11 February 2013 for failing to produce tachograph and drivers’ hours records…
Temporary relaxation of drivers’ hours
The Department for Transport has relaxed drivers’ hours and working time rules for drivers delivering heating fuel. This is due to the current adverse weather conditions…
Convictions for drivers’ hours and tachograph offences fall
According to the latest figures from VOSA the number of convictions for drivers’ hours and tachograph offences has almost halved since 2009. However, breaches of drivers’…
6 months in jail for tachograph fraud & abuse of drivers’ hours.
On Friday 4 January 2013 Mr G. Davidson from Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire was jailed for six months at Carlisle Crown Court for tachograph fraud. The defendant was first…
Suspended custodial sentence for tachograph cheat
On Monday 17th December 2012, Richard Samuel Dewart, 44, owner of Dewart Transport, Waringstown, Northern Ireland was convicted of forgery and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment,…
£50,000 fine for drivers’ hours offences
Following a VOSA led investigation, Liskeard company Darley Ford Transport (HGV) and Darley Ford Travel (PSV) were fined a total of £50,000 for drivers’ hour’s offences.…
Prison for driver after pleading guilty to 79 drivers’ hours offences
The RHA’s recent call for tougher sentences for drivers that deliberately falsify their tachograph records provoked plenty of comment. The United Road Transport Union were quick…
RHA and URTU agreement on tougher sentences for breaches of drivers’ hours law
The Road Haulage Association has amended its position on mandatory prison sentences for drivers defying drivers’ hours laws after the United Road Transport Union commented on…
Police start seven day speed enforcement operation from today.
A week-long speed enforcement operation, co-ordinated by The European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) with the support of 27 countries across Europe started on Mon 20 August 2012.…
Faulty driver cards finally resolved – Enforcement activities to commence 1st July
DVLA have now resolved the issue of faulty driver and company cards that was first reported at the end of March when cards started failing without…