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 hearings in Carlisle, Glasgow and Golborne. A number of the drivers also received prison sentences. The drivers cannot drive HGVs and must reapply to the Traffic Commissioners when the disqualification period expires.

The commissioners heard that a joint investigation by the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) and Cumbria police found the drivers and their employer had broken the rules to prevent drivers working too many hours.

182 false records were identified involving 17 drivers working for Ross International Ltd. The haulier was engaged in operations that included refrigerated transport of fish from Scotland to France and Spain. The drivers used a variety of devices to interrupt the recording of their drivers’ hours on the tachograph equipment in their vehicles.

The tachograph in the vehicle is used to ensure that the drivers are working within the legal limits. The drivers received bans from ranging from 9 to 18 months from the Traffic Commissioners for Scotland and North West of England.