One in five illegal in Essex police checks
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ESSEX POLICE say that in the latest round of roadside checks more than 20% of trucks or their drivers were found to be breaking the law.
The force teamed up last week with the Vehicle Services Operator Agency (VOSA) to hold a series of checks on trucks travelling within the Braintree and Uttlesford districts.
Officers stopped 151 trucks, of which 16 had mechanical defects and two were overloaded. Sixteen drivers were prevented from continuing their journeys for breaking drivers' hours rules; one was found to have been working for 10 days without a day off.
Essex Police's inspector Mark Harman says:"We've attended so many scenes of carnage after goods vehicles have crashed that we have decided to intervene before any further dreadful events occur. In the main they are caused by driver fatigue or vehicle defects.
"The results are disappointing. We will continue to remove as many offenders from the road as we can," he adds." We are appealing to hauliers to act responsibly, using only vehicles and drivers which are fit for the road."