Individual and Company Drivers: It Pays to Know the Regulations

We spend a lot of time dealing with regulations in our various driver training programmes. We cover things such as drivers’ hours, keeping proper logs, using tachograph equipment, and so on. We even cover Driver CPC syllabus topics like preventing illegal migration. Unfortunately, there is no possible way for us to cover it all. Therefore, it pays for both individual and company drivers to make every effort to know the regulations that apply to them.

A case in point is the fact that stun guns have been illegal in the UK since 1968. Individual and company drivers entering the UK from elsewhere in Europe are not allowed to bring the weapons on to our soil. Courts do not take such crimes lightly, imposing very stiff prison sentences when drivers are caught. According to a recent article by Kent Online, a Lithuanian driver who claimed ignorance of the law was still sentenced to 14 months.

We assume that most UK-based drivers already know they are not allowed to carry stun guns or other similar weapons. But foreign drivers coming to work in the UK or simply bringing a load in through Calais or Dover may not be aware. Should customs officials decide to inspect a group of lorry cabs, anyone carrying such a weapon would be at risk.

As Kent Online reports, judges are not sympathetic to either ignorance or the ongoing problems at Calais. They simply don’t want to hear that a driver was unaware of the law or that he/she only carried the weapon because he/she was fearful for his/her safety. If an individual or company driver is found in possession of a stun gun, prosecution and punishment are likely.

Just Follow the Regulations

There is certainly no lack of disputing among individual and company drivers over many of the regulations they are subject to. Debate is frequently passionate, but follow the regulations just the same. The regulations are what they are whether drivers like them or not. Failing to abide by them risks your job, your employer’s business, and even your family. It is better to follow the regulations and work to have them changed if you don’t like them.

The regulatory training that we provide in our HGV training programmes focuses on the most important regulations that apply to the vast majority of commercial drivers. For example, we already cited drivers’ hours rules as an example. We instruct drivers as to how long they are able to work on a given day, along with exceptions to the rules and when those exceptions are applicable. By the time drivers complete their training with us, they are thoroughly versed in the regulations we address.

The HGV Training Centre offers training to both individuals and company drivers. We can help you get your licence or, if you are a fleet manager or business owner, develop periodic CPC driver training for your team. We are the largest provider of commercial driver training in the UK.

Sources:

1. Kent Online – https://www.kentonline.co.uk/dover/news/four-truckers-arrested-a-week-91375/