We in road transport dislike the usual sensationalist tone of mainstream news stories about truck accidents - the word 'juggernaut' is wheeled out far too often - but this BBC News story is likely to have UK operators quietly nodding in agreement. The story accompanies tonight's Real Story (BBC1, 7.30pm) programme, which concludes that foreign trucks are far more likely to be in an unsafe condition than UK vehicles. The documentary
team spent a day with the police at Dover, and a day with VOSA inspectors at Holyhead - and 77 out of the 206 vehicles they pulled over were taken off the road. It's difficult to get the public to love trucks at the best of times - now UK operators have to seize this opportunity to show that they are the acceptable face of haulage.
UPDATE: The Freight Transport Association has put out a press release welcoming the BBC One programme. It points out its 'Tell us who you are' campaign, insisting that foreign trucks entering the UK should register details of ownership, operating base, last safety test, vehicle condition etc, in order to help UK enforcement authorities. The FTA's External Affairs Director Geoff Dossetter adds that one in seven of the heaviest vehicles on UK roads are from overseas, and says,
"UK lorries have a good and improving safety record as a result of a powerful regulatory regime and the enforcement that goes with it. But the increasingly poor record of foreign vehicles is damaging that improved reputation." Your turn, RHA...
Technorati Tags: Foreign trucks, illegal operation, Real Lives, Tachograph fraud, FTA
Comments (1)
Bet they weren't nodding approvingly if they were listening to 5 Live this morning! Loads of drivers on the radio blowing the whistle on corrupt practices in uk haulage plc. Better get our own house in order before we start pointing the finger...
Posted by truckwatcher | October 25, 2006 1:29 PM
Posted on October 25, 2006 13:29