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 a device to interfere with the tachograph recording drivers’ hours to show that he was taking rest when he was actually still driving. The driver was originally stopped by Suffolk Police on August 23 2016. Officers found that the vehicle’s tachograph was showing the vehicle at rest when it was being driven. A vehicle examiner from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) inspected the HGV the following day and found a magnet had been attached to the sender unit of the tachograph. This allows the driver to carry on driving, as the tachograph record shows that the vehicle is not moving. The DVSA investigation found 13 false tachograph records in total. The driver admitted that he had committed the offences and regretted his actions, however it was, the only way he could keep his job, he argued. The North West Traffic Commissioner, Simon Evans concluded that the offences justified a lengthy ban from professional driving and said “On numerous occasions over a period of two and a half months you manipulated records in a dishonest fashion for your own convenience.” “Driving whilst tired places at risk the lives of other drivers, as well as members of the public and yourself." Source: St Helens Star