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 penalty deposits when drivers commit historical offences relating to drivers’ hours and HGV Levy.  Historical offences are offences committed in the past, but detected at a later date during an enforcement check. The changes would apply to offences committed up to 28 days prior to the enforcement check. This is of direct relevance to HGV / PCV drivers and commercial road transport operators. Specific questions in the consultation include:

1. Do you agree that legislation should be altered to ensure EU drivers’ hours offences committed up to 28 days prior to the enforcement encounter are within the graduated fixed penalty and deposit scheme?
2. Do you have any comments about the effectiveness of the current legislative framework in relation to drivers’ hours offences detected in Great Britain (whether or not they have been committed elsewhere) and committed by drivers (whether or not they have satisfactory UK addresses at which they may be found for prosecution in the UK courts)?

The consultation document can be accessed on www.gov.uk Responses are requested by Mon 11 August 2014 and should be sent to Historicaloffences.Consultation@Dft.Gsi.Gov.Uk