Foreign haulage drivers could face on-the-spot fines
Date: 05 September 2007
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Foreign haulage drivers who break the UK's traffic laws could face on-the-spot fines under new government proposals.
Should the rules be put in place, police officers and officials from the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency (VOSA) would be able to hand out fines to those drivers exceeding driver hours and in charge of unroadworthy vehicles, RoadTransport.com reports.
As well as this, the overseas drivers could be punished for tachograph breaches and overloading, with fines of up to £200.
A consultation on the fines was completed last week and could become law in the future.
The news will be welcomed by those law-abiding haulage companies who hear stories of foreign operators regularly using unroadworthy trucks and allowing drivers to exceed driver hours.
According to Joan Williams of the Freight Transport Association, the fines are welcome "because foreign-registered vehicles largely escape sanctions at the moment".
Many foreign drivers have failed to turn up in court to pay fines - hence the need for on-the-spot penalties.
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