Commercial vehicle drivers be warned!

There's a multi-agency week of action to ensure the safety of commercial vehicles planned for next week

Next week, North Yorkshire Police will work with partner agencies including the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and other enforcement agencies in a bid to combat in a bid to combat commercial vehicle offences on our road network.

The aim to ensure our roads are as safe as possible, issues including load security, carriage of dangerous goods and people trafficking will be targeted in a high-profile visible week of action.  Checks will take place at various locations across the county and officers and staff will be directing vehicles to stop for inspection.

Traffic Sergeant Andrew Morton who is leading the operation for North Yorkshire Police said:  “Commercial vehicles are on our roads daily and play an important part in our economy - we are using this operation to ensure they are used safely and within the law.

“Road users are at risk if a large commercial vehicle or load is unsafe. Any item capable of being thrown from or bouncing out of a vehicle needs to be secured by whatever vehicle it is being carried on, whether it’s a plastic bucket or wheelbarrow, steel beams or heavy plant equipment. Even small items can kill or seriously injure someone if they come off a vehicle at speed.

“The DVSA in conjunction with the Health and Safety executive have recently issued new guidelines on the securing of loads and as part of the operation we will be applying these new guidelines and advising drivers on how best to secure their loads.

“We want to work with drivers and the entire industry to reduce the risk associated with the use of these vehicles on our roads, so everyone gets home safely at the end of the working day. We are asking commercial drivers to play their part by making sure that everything they carry is secured and the vehicles they load are safe and legal before they set off.”

The Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Road Vehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 says that anything transported on or in a vehicle or trailer must be secured so that it does not move during the journey and put people at risk. The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 says that employers and the self-employed whose work puts others at risk must take steps to protect both their own employees and anyone else who could be at risk.

Guidance can be found here:

Load securing: vehicle operator guidance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

HSE Load security (hse.gov.uk)

Drivers' hours: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Carriage of dangerous goods – Carriage regulations (hse.gov.uk)