Traffic commissioners take action on abusive drivers
Some of our recent cases show that a handful of drivers believe it’s appropriate to be aggressive and intimidating towards DVSA staff. We’ve picked out two examples to show what happened to those drivers.
Driver banned until 2021
Bombardment of abuse was worst DVSA examiner had been subjected to in 11 years
DVSA examiners carry out routine enforcement checks every single day.
They’re doing a really important job – checking that commercial vehicles and their drivers are running compliantly.
For some operators and drivers, a roadside stop might be seen as an inconvenience. But most understand it’s an essential part of keeping our roads safe and so cooperate with enforcement staff.
However some don’t. Richard Turfitt, the East of England Traffic Commissioner, banned a driver for three years after he was aggressive and threatening towards a DVSA examiner.
He was stopped using a vehicle without an operator licence disc and couldn’t produce his driver CPC. He’d also failed to use a tachograph to record the journey.
The driver – who was also the operator – said the examiner had no right to look at his paperwork, became agitated and aggressive and ripped up the prohibition notice and fixed penalty.
The driver said that when DVSA came to visit him, he’d make the examiners a drink and urinate in it. He also warned that DVSA would need to come with the Police.
He didn’t show up at his conduct hearing before the Traffic Commissioner. Mr Turfitt said drivers who display this type of habitual and persistent behaviour have no place in the industry. He was disqualified until 2021 as a driver and for five years as an operator.
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Driver banned until 2020
Volatile nature impacts on DVSA investigation
Investigating road safety compliance is a key part of DVSA’s work.
While a lot of this work is done at the roadside, examiners also carry out visits to operator premises.
They make sure paperwork is up to date, systems are in place and the appropriate checks are being carried out.
In some cases, they find serious offending by operators and drivers.
Getting to the bottom of these issues is really important. So DVSA staff shouldn’t be prevented from doing their jobs.
Unfortunately, that happened when two of the agency’s examiners tried to speak to a driver who’d made nine false records and committed a number of drivers’ hours offences.
The driver – who was also the operator – couldn’t sit with the examiners for an interview without becoming confrontational.
The traffic examiner wasn’t able to complete a full assessment of the drivers’ hours systems due to the individual’s volatile nature.
If he didn’t agree with a defect, he’d be intimidating and aggressive.
The driver didn’t show up to his conduct hearing. The Traffic Commissioner for Wales, Nick Jones, said commissioners will never tolerate these behaviours. He was banned until May 2020 as a driver and for five years as an operator.
