Britain’s roads could be made even safer as the DVSA trials new remote tachograph sensing equipment which will help crack down on dangerously tired drivers of commercial vehicles. The DVSA can use the new mobile equipment across the country – either when travelling alongside commercial vehicles, or from the roadside – to pull data from vehicles fitted with smart tachographs as they are on the move.
It is hoped the latest weapon in DVSA’s arsenal will provide it with greater capabilities to identify potential drivers’ hours offences and target them on the roads. The agency says that its new mobile equipment enables greater agility and unpredictability in enforcement, as the tools can be fixed to a stand, attached to buildings or highway infrastructure, or used on a vehicle. Examiners will be able to identify tachograph violations including whether a tachograph card is not inserted, if a tachograph card has been tampered with or even if it is correctly calibrated, without needing to access the target vehicle.
While most of the commercial vehicle industry remains committed to safety and compliance, the agency says it is still identifying cases of serious and deliberate rule violations. In the financial year 2021/22, it issued 1,317 drivers’ hours prohibitions for heavy goods vehicles, public service vehicles and applicable light goods vehicles.
DVSA’s Head of Regulatory Services & Transformation, Caroline Hicks said: “We are committed to exploring every available opportunity to help us prevent dangerously tired drivers putting themselves and the everyday road user at serious risk. The new technology is a potential game changer in identifying tachograph violations. We’re also excited to see where this leads in helping us identify operators who knowingly break all kinds of safety rules.”
