The details of the case were reported by Danish road transport website Transport Magasinet.
According to the Danish publication, the story goes back to January 2020, when owner-driver Per Jørgensen was inspected by the Danish Transport Agency.
In the data that had been submitted from the trucker’s tachograph, there was a so-called ‘signature error’ on three of the days. This entailed a fine of DKK 6,000 for each day, which of course meant a total penalty of DKK 18,000 (roughly €2,413 according to today’s exchange rate).
It wasn’t until the inspection that Jørgensen had realised that his tachograph, manufactured by Stoneridge, was faulty. Indeed, prior to the inspection, he had even taken to the device to a workshop, where no issues were found.
It was at this point when the driver-owner maintained that he should not have to pay a fine due to a technical fault. The Danish Transport Agency did not see things the same way, however. As they saw it, the errors indicated that the tachograph may have been tampered with.
Ultimately, the evidence favoured Jørgensen and he ended up winning the case. It was found that the serial number of the tachograph that the owner-driver had been using was among those its manufacturer had admitted were faulty.
Speaking to the Danish press, the lorry driver said he was satisfied that there had been “some form of justice for a little man against the system”. However, he also explained of his anger about ending up in court over something that was entirely out of his control.
