Trailer-towing vans may be lawbreakers

Thousands of van operators that tow trailers are falling foul of the law by failing to fit and use tachographs, and could face hefty fines or even imprisonment as a result. This is the stark warning of digital tachograph manufacturer Actia. 

Vans with a gross train weight (GTW) of more than 3.5 tonnes, which are used for hire or reward, are subject to tachograph rules. This includes the 3.5-tonne panel vans, 4x4s and pickups that tow plant, cement mixers or generators.

Actia believes much of the law-breaking is down to ignorance, and says VOSA is partly to blame. "Try looking up the relevant information on its website," says Actia sales and marketing manager Mike Oliver. "I bet you'll give up after 10 or 15 minutes." He thinks van dealers should also take some responsibility. "If someone orders a tow-bar, the dealer needs to ask them what they plan to do with the vehicle," he says.

But Oliver is fully aware that better education will not cure the problem. "From our experience, when people are told about the rules, they tend to ignore them any-way," he says.

According to Oliver, VOSA is being proactive in enforcing the regulations, and the punishment for breaking the rules can be a £5,000 fine, or several months in prison. Anne McDougal, a director at Tachodisc, adds that if the offender also runs trucks, their O-licence could be put at risk. However, in her opinion, there is little chance of being caught at the moment.

According to both Actia and Tachodisc, not all vehicles can be fitted with a tachograph, meaning that some operators are forced to run illegally. They give the example of some 4x4 pickups, which have nowhere to screw in a digital tachograph sensor. Oliver says: "When we asked VOSA what the owners of the vehicles should do, it suggested buying a new vehicle."