Photo: Michael Dietrich / Landesverkehrsabteilung Oberösterreich

Austrian haulier caught manipulating tachographs on 25% of its fleet

Commercial vehicle checks conducted by the Austrian police near Vöcklabruck in August have led to a haulier being caught using tachograph manipulation devices in 1 in every 4 of its trucks.

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The shocking discovery was made after inspectors decided to further investigate a Salzburg road transport firm whose trucks were flagged during checks on the A1.

Tachograph manipulation devices were detected in both vehicles during the aforementioned checks, allowing the haulier’s drivers to keep moving while their driving time was recorded as rest.

According to the police, the devices consisted of several parts and were promptly removed in specialist workshops before being seized by officers. The drivers were also forbidden from continuing their journeys.

The inspection didn’t end there however, as the police decided to investigate the haulier further. They later uncovered evidence that tachographs had been tampered with in 25% of the company’s fleet.

“The driving time data was demonstrably manipulated over a longer period of time and data was specifically suppressed. These manipulations served to pretend compliance with the required driving and rest times during police checks. After the investigation was completed, the public prosecutor’s office in Wels reported ten suspects, and various administrative reports were sent to the Vöcklabruck district authority,” concluded a statement on the matter by the Provincial Transport Department of Upper Austria.