Not only the French want to heighten the controls of vehicles up of to 3.5 tonnes. Germany has recently applied a new approach to controlling the correct weight and the securing of loads. Penalties for offenses are much higher.
German services are focused primarily on heavy goods vehicles over 3.5 t. However, due to the large number of detected offenses, such as overloading or lack of proper documentation, the number of their inspections has clearly increased in recent years.
Higher fines
Until recently, there were relatively low fines for this type of violation. Currently, the carrier is threatened with a fine – so-called forfeit amount calculated on the basis of the number of kilometers driven, the mass of the goods and taking into account the coefficient published in the German brochure KGS (Kostensätze Gütertransport Straße). Penalties can reach up to several thousand euros.
For some time, many carriers did not understand why the fines were so high and how they were calculated. It was unclear why the fines imposed by the officers were higher than in the indicated list of penalties, which is publicly available on the internet (https://www.bussgeld-info.de/bussgeldkatalog-lkw-ueberladung) – comments Paulina Eliasz-Pietrusewicz from Translawyers, a law firm that specializes in transport.
As the lawyer adds, they cannot explain why the punishment is so high in the service inspectorate.
They check the documentation more often and on the basis of CMR letters and orders presented or found in the vehicle, they calculate the amount of the fine. It also happens that the business owner must send an e-mail with the last order together with CMR letters, otherwise the vehicle is detained. Only the payment of the penalty, and loading the overweight of the goods to another vehicle allows you to get back the vehicle and continue the journey – adds Eliasz-Pietrusewicz.
Photo: twitter.com/objectifgard