A 52-year-old Austrian lorry driver has been reported to the authorities after violating drivers’ hours rules and fitting his truck with non-permitted LED lights.
The truck was stopped during police checks in Hallein last weekend.
Besides the violating drivers’ hours rules, the trucker was found to have made unapproved modifications to his vehicle, including a sheet of steel on the windscreen that acted as a sunshield but also restricted visibility. In addition, a “myriad of non-permitted LED lights” were fitted to the truck according to the Austrian police.
The driver was forbidden from continuing his journey and was reported to the authorities along with the owner of the vehicle. The truck must also be subjected to a special inspection at the test centre.
€4,200 fine for drivers’ hours violations
Meanwhile, HGV inspections on the Tauern motorway, which also took place last weekend, saw the two-man crew of an Italian lorry fined €4,200 for seriously breaching drivers’ hours’ regulations.
Police officers detected serious violations of the driving and rest times by both drivers. A provisional security deposit of 4,200 euros was collected and the drivers had to take a 9-hour break. The police officers also reported the incident to the responsible authority.
Greek cheese and household items stored in refrigerated truck
Finally, during another control in Kuchl, an articulated vehicle with a Greek registration number was stopped. This was loaded with 27 tons of cheese among other things. Due to having a shelf life of more than 9 months, this cargo was not subject to the exemptions from the weekend driving ban.
However, the driver was transporting household items and machines in the refrigerated truck. The 57-year-old Greek driver was forbidden to continue driving and a security deposit of €600 was collected.
Photo credits @ Salzburger Polizei
