The Romanian driver was caught by the police on the German motorway. After the inspection, he had to take a 4-day break from work, and his boss got a fine that he would never forget.
A week ago, on the German A2 motorway near Bielefeld, police stopped a Romanian truck – reports the regional newspaper „Westfälischer Anzeiger”. The officers quickly became suspicious that the tachograph had been manipulated in the vehicle. To confirm their suspicions, they directed the car to an authorized workshop in Bad Salzuflen.
There, it turned out that a special sensor was installed in the truck, which affected the operation of the tachograph. By means of a special switch, the driver could manipulate the device’s records.
High fine
For manipulating tachograph records using advanced technology, the head of the Romanian company was punished with a fine of 21,000 euros. The entrepreneur must also take into account the high costs of dismantling the illegal device – we read in the German daily.
Where does such a high fine come from?
Due to traffic safety, we imposed a high penalty together with the Federal Office of Freight Transport (BAG). We hope it will have a deterrent effect on other carriers who engage in such practices, „explained Jens Bögeholz, the police chief of Bielefeld.
The 50-year-old truck driver did not escape the punishment either. For driving a lorry with a speed of 118 km/h, he received a 350 euro fine.
On Monday, as reported by „Westfälischer Anzeiger”, the Romanian entrepreneur paid the fine.
Editor’s comment:
The story of the Romanian carrier shows that it is not worth cheating. The price for the manipulation was high and the carrier was risking not only money and the company’s name but also human life – a tired driver is a hazard to other road users.
Photo: pxhere.com/CC0 Public Domain