Foreign lorry drivers ‘bypass’ safety device

THE number of foreign lorry drivers bypassing safety devices illegally while travelling to the UK has risen by a fifth in one year.

More than 440 trucks entering the country last year were found to have manipulated tachographs – mandatory devices fitted to vehicles to record speed and distance travelled – an increase of 21 per cent in one year.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) says a further 400 drivers were using “interrupters” to switch off tachographs but was unable to prove wrongdoing in those cases.

The devices also track the number of hours a driver has been on the road, in an attempt to prevent them falling asleep. Drivers caught included a Bulgarian who had been on the road 23 hours non-stop when he was pulled over in North Wales in March. A DVSA spokesman said: “The results of falling asleep at the wheel of 44-tonne lorry can be devastating to families and communities. Anything that means a driver can drive tired and we might not know about it or stop it is a worry.”

Interrupters also disable advanced braking systems and the speedometer.

British firms caught manipulating tachographs can have lorries taken off the road. Yet road transport unions and trade bodies say hauliers from other European countries will risk getting caught because the penalties are small, often a £300 fixed penalty.

An offence committed by a driver in one country can lead to the closure of their company in their home country. However, a BBC investigation found no evidence these powers have been used in the five years since they was introduced.