The driver was pulled over last week during a routine check on the B16 near Lechbrücke. Officers immediately noticed that the trucker had been driving in his socks, which is a crime in the country.
In addition, the 56-year-old lorry driver was found to have sped at 90 km/h on several occasions shortly before the inspection – significantly exceeding the 60 km/h speed limit for his truck. When checking the truck’s tachograph, the police also detected several driving and rest time violations.
However, what really surprised the officers were the tachograph records from the previous day. The data showed that the lorry driver had driven from Würzburg in the direction of Leipzig on the A9. The truck was loaded with slate and had a total weight of 41.9 tons. Shortly after 9 am, when the truck had crossed into the Thuringia region, the tachograph recording showed the driver had reached a top speed of 133 km/h in a zone with a 80 km/h limit.
Given the high speed, one may expect that the lorry had been modified. However, officers have ruled out any technical defects or manipulations. In their opinion, the high speeds are achievable on the downhill stretch of the A9 on the Bavarian-Thuringian regional border.
When it comes to the consequences the driver will face for his speeding and rest time violations, as well as driving in his socks, the police state that “no valid statement can be made at this point” because of the “exceptional and individual” nature of the case.
The aforementioned lorry driver is by no means the only trucker to have sped on the A9 in recent days. On Monday, 4 drivers were fined for speeding on a downhill stretch of the motorway, including one who sped as fast as 94km/h.
Photo credit: Polizei Göttingen (illustrative photo)