31-10-06 VOSA Vigilant Over Drivers Hours
VOSA has announced its intention to continue cracking down on drivers who fail to produce the correct hours documentation on UK roads, with one operator being forced to fly over from Spain to collect his vehicle last week.
On Monday 23rd October at a roadside check in Dagenham, Essex a VOSA traffic examiner inspected a Spanish articulated vehicle with a Portuguese driver. When asked to present his documents, the driver produced 11 days of digital tachograph printouts and no drivers’ card.
EU legislation states that a valid card must be issued to all drivers from member states before they can legally operate a vehicle equipped with a tachograph.
Without a valid card to support them, the printouts could have been produced by anyone and on closer inspection it transpired that some had been signed by another driver. A prohibition was subsequently issued for failing to produce a drivers’ card and the driver was informed that he would not be allowed to remove the vehicle from the check site.
At 1am the traffic examiner received a call asking him to return and release the vehicle as the drivers’ manager had flown straight to Gatwick and caught a taxi to Dagenham in order to rescue his stranded vehicle and colleague.
The UK has taken a firm line in ensuring that these requirements are adhered to since the DVLA began issuing driver smart cards back in June 2005, and will continue to do so on vehicles from both domestic and international transport operators.
15-05-06 VOSA launches its Mobile Compliance Device for more effective vehicle targeting
VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) is launching its new tool to improve targeting of vehicles and operators at the roadside, the Mobile Compliance Device.
The Mobile Compliance Device (MCD) is a robust handheld computer designed to withstand the rigours of a roadside environment. The device uses a computer application containing information to enable intelligence and risk based targeting. It can automatically search and extract information from VOSA databases including operator and vehicle details, technical records, annual test expiry date, prohibition notices in force at the time of the stop, and also details of vehicles on international journeys from previous encounters.
VOSA Enforcement Officers using the device will be able to record vehicle encounter details at the point of contact and will also be able to support the full range of Enforcement and Prohibition Notices currently issued by VOSA.
Completed encounter details will be sent via a wireless General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) connection to a central database. This will enable encounter information to be available to all our Enforcement Officers who are active.
This new enforcement device will have the ability to download Digital Tachograph data from the driver smart card and Vehicle Unit to enable Enforcement Officers to analyse and enforce drivers’ hours regulations. In addition, it will validate the driver smart card by accessing a central repository of driver card information held by DVLA using its GPRS facility.
The application will, when approved by Parliament and implemented, also be able to allow VOSA Examiners to administer the Graduated Deposit, Fixed Penalty regime to enable Fixed Penalty Notices to be issued at the roadside.
National roll out of the MCDs, one for each VOSA Enforcement Officer, will soon be completed.