court reportCourtReportCouldn’t ProduceTachograph RecordsA County Antrim operatorwas convicted at AntrimMagistrates Court andfined a total of £4,200plus £16 court costs.The prosecution arose followinga special investigation byDVA Vehicle Examinerswho requested a haulagecompany to make available forinspection tachograph recordsfor 13 of their vehicles.At a later date an officer calledat the premises; however, thetransport manager was unable toproduce the records requested.After several attempts to obtainthis information the operator wascautioned for failing to complywith a tachograph request letterand failing to produce tachographrecords for his vehicles.Scania Had NoTachograph FittedA Belfast driver wasconvicted at AntrimMagistrates Court and fineda total of £1,100 plus £16court costs as the result ofDVA Enforcement officersstopping a 3 axle Scaniaarticulated goods vehiclein the County Antrim area.During the course of anexamination it was noted that thevehicle required a tachograph tobe fitted; the driver was askedif he was using a tachographto which he replied “No”.The vehicle was directed tothe Department’s dynamicweighbridge at Nutts Corderwhich revealed that the vehiclewas overloaded by 4,430Kgs(42.19%) on the 3rd axle andby 2,650 kgs (11.52%) onthe gross vehicle weight. Thedriver was cautioned and aprohibition notice issued inrelation to the overweight.Operator Fined£1000 for MultipleOffencesA County Tyrone operatorwas convicted at LarneMagistrates Court andfined a total of £1,000 plus£22 court costs after a 2+3 axle articulated largegoods vehicle was stoppedin the vicinity of Larne.On examination of the vehicleit was noted there was no Road<strong>Freight</strong> Licence displayed on thevehicle and that the tachographrecording equipment was notsealed correctly, in that thearmoured cable was not intact.Upon further investigation it cameto light that out of 17 tachographcharts produced by the driver, thefollowing offences were found -14 offences of failing to use therecording equipment, 3 offencesof failing to return charts and 1centerfield offence. When askedwhat instructions or guidance hehad received from his employerregarding tachographs and drivershours, the driver replied, “I knowwhat the rules are, don’t takeany chances and do it right”.At a later date the operator wasinterviewed and cautioned.Failed to MaintainVehicle ProperlyA County Armagh operatorwas convicted at AntrimMagistrates Court andfined a total of £1,050 plus£19 court costs following agoods vehicle enforcementoperation in the CountyAntrim area when a 3+3axle articulated goodsvehicle was stopped byDVA Vehicle Examiners anddirected to the Department’sdynamic weighbridgefacility at Nutts Corner.A number of roadworthinessoffences were detected includingthe rear steering draglink endshowing excess wear, the brakedisc on the offside 1st axleseverely cracked in various places,the anti lock brake warning lightindicating a fault, excessive playat the fifth wheel coupling andthe offside stoplight defective.In view of their findings aprohibition notice was issuedto the driver in respect of thedefects. At a later date theoperator was interviewed,cautioned and informed thatthe facts would be reportedwith a view to prosecution.Volvo WasOverweightA company was convictedat Larne Magistrates Courtand fined a total of £950plus £19 court costs.The prosecution arose followinga goods vehicle enforcementoperation in the vicinity of Larne,when a Volvo 2+3 axle articulatedlarge goods vehicle in combinationwith an SDC trailer was stoppedby DVA Vehicle Examiners anddirected to the Department’sdynamic weighbridge facility atthe Harbour Highway, Larne.The vehicle was found to beoverweight on the 2nd axle by1,740 kgs (15%), overweighton the gross vehicle weight by2,000kgs (11%) and overweightby 3,710 kgs (9%) on thegross train weight. In view ofthe findings the driver wasinterviewed and cautioned.After the interview he was issuedwith a prohibition notice inrelation to the overloading. Whenasked if there was anything hewould like to say he replied “No”.Tachograph OffencesA County Armagh operatorwas convicted at LarneMagistrates Court andfined a total of £600plus £19 court costs.The prosecution was theresult of a 2+3 axle articulatedgoods vehicle being stoppedby DVA Vehicle Examinersin the vicinity of Larne.An analysis of the tachograpahcharts revealed that the driverhad failed to take the proper dailyrest on three separate occasions.At a later date the operatorwas interviewed and cautioned,when asked if he wished toadd anything to the interview,he replied, “Only to say thatnow this has been brought tomy attention I will be speakingto the driver and ensuringthe data is fully analysed”.TRANSPORT TRAINING SERVICES LTD15 Dundrod Road, Nutts Corner, Crumlin, BT29 4SSDRIVER TRAININGLGV & PCV DriverTrainingDriver RiskAssessmentsForklift TrainingTRANSPORT COURSESCPC ManagementCoursesHaulage / PassengerTransportDriver CPC - LGV & PCVTRANSPORT OFDANGEROUS GOODSADR Initial 3,4,5 DaysADR RefresherDGSA ConsultancyDGSA TrainingTel : 028 9082 5653JAUPT APPROVED CENTRE AC00117www.transport-training.co.uk28Court Report 1pg.indd 28 09/05/2012 11:41
news 29eFlow customer figures continue to groweFlow, Ireland’s leading toll solutions provider, has registered over 500,000 customers since its inception in 2008, representingan average of over 11,000 new customers a month, since the free flow tolling system was introduced on the M50.Over 100,000 vehiclesuse the M50 free-flow systemevery day and over 80% areregistered customers, availingof lower toll charges andautomatic toll payment.Comments eFlow’s Corporate andFleet Manager Greg Thompson:“eFlow is pleased to achieve suchstrong growth rates in our registeredcustomer base. Our growth is areflection of both the consistentlevel of traffic movements across theeFlow’s Corporate and FleetManager Greg Thompsoncountry, and the fact that motoristsare seeking to achieve better valuefor money and an efficient andreliable method of toll payment.”eFlow has also signaled aconsistent rise in its fleet customerbase, having recently launcheda dedicated fleet managementservice for business customers.“We manage the fleet of over26,000 Irish businesses, helpingthem to reduce costs, staycompetitive, and, ultimately,protect jobs in the domesticeconomy,” said Mr. Thompson.eFlow continue to introduce furtherbenefits for its customers, suchas the new eFlow reward card.“The eFlow reward card providesexclusive discounts and offers ona wide range of Irish products andservices. We are delighted to bein a position to give somethingback to our customers, as a thankyou for their continued custom.”What Our CustomersSay About Us“We recently set up a Business Fleetaccount with eFlow to facilitateour tolling requirements and weredelighted with the initial account setup service that was provided by theextremely well mannered accountmanagement team.Our account wasset up almost immediately, havingno issues with any of the tags thatwere sent for our fleet vehicles. Ouraccounts department are delightedwith the ease of use to manage theaccount online and control in payingone monthly toll bill. Having heardthat eFlow has a reputation forbeing reliable and customer servicefocused, we know we have madethe right choice.” FrancieMcErlean,TransportManagerCamden Group.“We recently switched to eFlowfrom another service providerand we are since delighted withthe level of customer servicereceived; with courteous andhelpful staff, right through tothe simple invoicing process and24/7 online account access. Whatmake eFlow stand out from thecrowd is the one to one accountmanagement service which makesdoing business more personable.”Conor Sunderland, TransportManager, Thorntons RecyclingSee how eFlow can beof real benefit to yourfleet, request a brochureor give us a call today.Contact eFlow FleetManagement at:Ph: +353 1 877 0470Email:businessaccount@eflow.ieWebsite: www.eflow.ieContact NI TruckseFlow 1-2 advertorial.indd 29 09/05/2012 11:56
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