The lorry driver tried to jump the tolls almost once every three days on average over a 12-month period spanning 2020 and 2021.
The two motorway companies whose barriers were damaged during the man’s attempts to jump the tolls have estimated the repair bill at €19,600.
The driver was sentenced on Tuesday at Bayonne court to a three-month suspended prison sentence. He is also expected to have pay for the damage to the barriers, though the estimate presented by the toll operators is disputed by the defense and the compensation figure isn’t clear yet.
The driver’s employer also faces prosecution, while the HGV used by the trucker has been seized.
Sud Ouest writes that the lorry driver tried to defend himself by explaining that his electronic toll system had broken down, and that his company did not repair it.
Since the lorry driver’s arrest, his employer has provided its drivers with bank cards to pay the tolls.
Photo: Poudou99, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped)
