The German police and BAG officers treat drivers and companies that manipulate tachographs, harshly. Still, there are plenty of swindlers. This is the story of an offence that ended in a horrendous deposit on account of a fine. But the fraud will cost the carrier even more.
Last week, on the B27 federal road in Mössingen (Baden-Württemberg), police officers stopped a 35-year-old Slovenian driver for inspection. The attention of the officers was drawn to the trucker’s fatigue. They, therefore, decided to check the tachograph readings, which showed some anomalies.
For this reason, the vehicle has been transported to an authorised workshop where the tachograph has been subject to a detailed inspection. Then the suspicions of manipulation were confirmed. The tachograph was dismantled and confiscated and the vehicle detained.
The prosecutor’s office secured the device to get an expert opinion. According to local media, the driver and the carrier will have to pay a deposit of EUR 20,000 on account of the fine. An investigation into the falsification of technical records is underway.
High price of manipulation
The amount demanded by the German police is only a deposit for a fine to be imposed,” explains Paul Reich, a senior lawyer at Transcash.eu.
“The amount of the fine may be equal to or higher than the amount of the deposit. The office will count the deposit towards the fine,” adds the lawyer.
In addition to the fine, the Slovenian carrier will have to bear the costs of removing the tachograph in an authorised workshop and parking at the impound lot where the vehicle was sent. The truck will not be able to leave the impound lot until a new tachograph has been installed.