Roadside vehicle checks for commercial drivers – South East
How confident are you that your drivers and vehicles would pass such a check?
Employers and fleet operators across the country, whose vehicles are defective, or whose drivers break the law, are coming under ever-closer scrutiny.
Police forces around the country are increasingly working alongside other agencies such as the DVSA, HSE, HM Customs & Excise and National Highways on initiatives that are identifying large numbers of non-compliant business drivers and commercial vehicles.
This page highlights just a small number of the compliance events that are happening all year round in the South East, and all over the country.
Common Faults
Mechanical failure
Insecure loads/overloading
Illegal tyres
It’s not only the driver at fault
The driver is ultimately responsible for his or her behaviour on the road, as well as the roadworthiness of the vehicle. However, many of these stops highlight that it isn’t always just the driver at fault. The police and judiciary are increasingly aware that there are obvious instances where drivers have been let down by their employers with poor training or poorly maintained vehicles. In serious incidents where accepted company practice or a lack of appropriate management was a contributory factor – directors and managers are being called to account!
Your drivers could be pulled in for a check on any road, on any day of the week. The police know what to look for and have a high success rate identifying offending vehicles with most having multiple faults. While some drivers are allowed to carry on their journey with a warning, or a commitment to fix non-critical safety faults, other vehicles can receive a PG9 ‘roadworthiness prohibition’ notice meaning the vehicle cannot be used until the faults have been fixed and checked, taking the vehicle out of action for up to 10 days and causing serious business disruption. These faults could result in prosecution.
It’s not difficult to do it right
Not everyone gets it wrong.
Police on the A21 were particularly impressed when they checked this vehicle to find the driver had had been properly trained by their employer on how to secure a load safely and prevent loose items leaving the vehicle. The driver was commended for an excellent job.
Recent roadside check events