Drivers missed defects
Page 11
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by Miles Brignall • The maintenance standard of trucks is falling and one of the major reasons is that drivers are failing to carry out basic daily checks, says Avon & Somerset Police.
Traffic division officers report a dramatic rise in the number of immediate prohibitions they have issued over the past nine months. Traffic division intelligence officer Alan Parsons says: "We used to issue more delayed prohibitions, but increasingly we have been finding a greater number of serious failures appearing."
A large number of the defects, such as damaged tyres and faulty lights, ought to be spotted during the daily check of the vehicle, he says.
In a roadside check held before Christmas, 21 trucks out
of 156 were immediately impounded. Parsons says most of the prohibitions were simply the result of drivers failing to check their vehicles before going out on the road.
The check, which was conducted over two days and an evening, found a further 11 trucks which were issued with delayed prohibitions. One artic carrying concrete products was discovered to be 2.5 tonnes overloaded while its trailer's brakes were so out of alignment that its brake linings did not make contact with the drums.
The Avon & Somerset force, one of the few forces to employ a full-time intelligence officer on truck enforcement, is promising further checks over the year.