A few days ago the police inspected a double-cast Romanian truck on the German A8. Checking the tachograph printouts resulted in a painfully high fine. The drivers and their employer were both punished.
German traffic police officers, who were patrolling the A-8 highway, spotted a truck parked on the roadside, near Oberelchingen. The vehicle was stopped with hazard lights flashing and two drivers from Romania were waiting for a service technician to repair the fault preventing them from continuing their journey.
The police decided to take advantage of this opportunity and checked the tachograph data from the last 28 days. During the inspection, they found that the tachograph was recording rest periods while, in fact, the truck was on the move.
For this reason, two drivers, 34 and 37 years old, were issued with fines of €1,500 each. Their employer was fined €15,000. In addition, the truck could not continue its journey until the drivers had taken the prescribed rest.
This case should make it clear to everyone that while many countries are currently relaxing the rules on drivers’ working time and temporarily lifting some bans, the inspection services are still catching those who are clearly breaking the law.
Image: Twitter.com/Polizei_WH