Aside from the fact all operators and drivers should be compliant and their vehicles are at MOT standard at all times, this is sadly not the case. October 13th saw a new initiative by the formation of a new London Freight Enforcement Partnership.
The partnership will build on the work of Transport for London (TfL) and partner agencies, including the Industrial HGV Task Force (IHTF) and Commercial Vehicle Units. It will tackle unsafe HGVs (LGVs), and take any non-compliant and unsafe commercial vehicles, drivers and operators off London’s streets.
Launched on 13th October 2015 by London’s Transport Commissioner, Mike Brown MVO and Chairman of Network Rail and Chair of the London Freight Enforcement Partnership, Sir Peter Hendy CBE, alongside representatives from London’s police forces, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the freight industry.
The Industrial HGV Task Force, has had great success targeting the most dangerous of commercial vehicles. The Task Force, jointly funded by TfL and the Department for Transport, acts as a deterrent against non-compliant companies that attempt to undercut those operating legitimately.
Since October 2013, more than 6,030 vehicles have been targeted and stopped, 87 vehicles seized, 4,500 prosecutions progressed through the Criminal Justice System and 2,134 fixed penalty notices issued for offences including:
- Lack of insurance
- Driving without the correct licence
- Unsafe tyres
- Vehicle not equipped with cycle safeguards
- Not accurately recording driver hours
The London Freight Enforcement Partnership will also make the most of powers at their disposal. This will include better use of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology for targeting vehicles and feeding reports about identified operator and driver non-compliance to the Traffic Commissioner.