LGV Operation Results in More Than 1,000 Offences

Police and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recently joined forces in Cornwall and Devon to crack down on LGV drivers breaking the law. The operation resulted in more than 1,000 offences being identified and cited. Operation Fatigue was conducted by the agencies over a three-week period spanning November and December of last year.

According to a report from Commercial Motor, approximately 376 vehicles were stopped during the operation. Among those vehicles, officials noted 1,164 violations of varying degrees. The report said the majority were addressed through fixed penalty notices resulting in some £34,410 in fines. That’s quite a hefty sum for just three weeks of operation.

Some of the more serious offences resulted in vehicles being prohibited from continuing until matters were satisfied. In some cases that meant paying fines, in other cases it meant drivers taking their mandatory rest periods.

Officials in Cornwall and Devon made it clear they are committed to ensuring commercial drivers comply with the law while travelling through their jurisdictions. Doing so increases highway safety for everyone involved.

Commercial Driving Careers

We should point out that the number of offences cited during the joint operation does not in any way suggest a career as a commercial driver is a bad choice. Quite the contrary; earning your commercial driver licence opens up an entire world of possibilities that would otherwise be unavailable to you.

In order to drive commercially, one needs a specific licence. If you already have a full car licence, you have already completed the first step in the process. Now you need to apply for your LGV provisional licence so you can undergo practical skills training.

They HGV Training Centre can help you complete the process necessary to earn your provisional licence. You will need to pass a routine medical exam then submit the accompanying paperwork along with your application for the provisional licence. While you are waiting for your provisional licence to arrive, you will prepare for the 100-question, multiple-choice theory test designed to test your knowledge of general highway safety and hazard avoidance.

You should know that our students boast a 92% first-time pass rate for the theory test. If you are not confident about preparing for this test on your own, you can certainly enrol in one of our classes. Once you pass the theory test, you will be eligible to begin practical skills training.

That training puts you both in the classroom and behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle. When you’re training is complete, which can usually be done in a matter of weeks, you’ll be ready to sign up for your final road test at an approved government facility. We will even send one of our trainers with you when the day arrives.

Although it may sound somewhat complicated, it’s really not. If you are willing to work with us at the HGV Training Centre, we will have you ready to go as a commercial driver in no time at all.

Sources:

1. Commercial Motor – https://www.commercialmotor.com/news/devon-and-cornwall-crack-down-finds-1-000-lgv-driver-offences