A haulage boss from Northern Ireland has been handed an 18 month prison sentence suspended for three years after being convicted of forgery relating to tachograph records.
In a prosecution brought by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA), Craigavon Magistrates Court was told how in February 2011, as part of a joint enforcement operation, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and DVA examined several vehicles owned by Co Armagh-based Dewart Transport, owned by Richard Dewart.
Several were seized on the grounds that tachograph interrupter devices had been installed which had the capability to disable the tachograph and speed limiter if activated.
DVA enforcement officers undertook a detailed examination of tachograph records and documentation at the firm's premises in Waringstown, Craigavon, as well as other data relating to the movements of the vehicles.
They identified instances where rest periods had been recorded by the tachograph recording equipment, yet other evidence showed the continued movement of the vehicles.
In these instances it was proven that an interrupter device had been activated to enable the driver to continue driving by simulating that the vehicle was stationary and, as a result, false tachograph records were created.
Dewart, 44, was convicted under the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.
Following the case, Road Haulage Association chief executive Geoff Dunning said: "Falsifying driving records is planned in advance and is one of the most serious offences in road haulage."
