Manipulation: working together to cut it out

Tachograph equipment has one purpose. To secure road safety.

Anyone involved in manipulating these devices is making a deliberate attack on the wellbeing of others. Cheating the rules also strikes at the heart of fair competition.

As Scotland’s Traffic Commissioner, Joan Aitken, recently observed, the aim of manipulating the equipment is to extend the driver’s hours and to “sweat two assets” – the vehicle and driver.

Driver fatigue, the primary risk of working too long and without breaks, is well established as a cause of damage to people and property and to safe operations.

Which is why it’s in the interests of every honest haulier that DVSA examiners are able to track down who is putting interrupter devices into commercial vehicles.

Giving enforcement staff relevant evidence to help them trace when and where a device may have been fitted is critical.

The vast majority of operators, if ever faced with that scenario, would do the right thing. A small minority wouldn’t. Some would even continue business dealings with the potential source of the interference.

Taking proportionate regulatory action – to address road safety risks and restore fair competition – is how the commissioners tackle the small minority of operators.

To report any information about interrupter devices or any other non-compliance issues, contact DVSA.

You can read the latest traffic commissioner written decisions here.