Czech police recently imposed a large fine on the carrier whose truck was carrying out transports around the country with an equipment affecting the operation of the tachograph. The driver was imprisoned. Such punishment is meant to discourage all those who use unfair practices.
During the inspection of a truck transporting timber through Horní Benesov, Czech policemen discovered that the tachograph in the vehicle indicated a rest time, even though the driver was on the road with the load. At first, the foreign trucker explained that the device had failed. However, the officers detected a system manipulating the tachograph records, reports the Czech portal novinky.cz.
Photo: www.policie.cz
Both the tractor and the trailer were secured by the police, the driver was arrested and the carrier was fined 100,000 crowns (about 4 thousand euros- editor’s note),” said Pavla Jirouskova, a spokeswoman for the Czech police.
After the carrier paid the penalty, the police returned the truck with a load, and the accused driver was released from arrest.
However, according to a police spokeswoman, the driver may be charged with a 4-year prison sentence for manipulating the tachograph in the Czech Republic.
Photo: www.policie.cz
Exceptionally high fines are also commonplace in Denmark for this illegal practice. This year, a Polish carrier was punished with a fine of 275,000 Danish crowns for the use of a very strong magnet.
Germans are also severe when it comes to this type of fraud. In August this year, they punished a Romanian company with a fine of 21 thousand euro for the tachograph manipulation. The local police expect that severe punishments will discourage potential cheaters from using such methods.
Editor’s comment
The case of the carrier and driver in the Czech Republic shows that it is not worth cheating. By committing such practices, the carrier and driver put at stake not only the company’s money, but also the health and life of the driver and other road users.
Photo: www.policie.cz