How many times have you been stopped
Discussion
I've been stopped once in a car, once a van and once a truck in 23 years.
The car was in 1991, a knackered old capri, and they were having a bit of a spot check session on old bangers. I'd got my grandmother in the passenger seat, which I think helped. Got a spot of friendly advice to stick a bit of gaffer tape over some cracked body filler as it was a tad sharp.
The van was a 1980 Sherpa van, ex GPO with sliding doors, I was on my way to play the piano for a little Methodist church in the next town. Motorcycle copper this time, he'd followed the old red POS and decided it was worth a tug. I just got a producer for that.
Final pull was in late 1999 in a truck. I'd been on the road an hour or so, and we pulled into a service area for a spot of breakfast. Think we'd been covering a Footy match at 'Boro, and were heading to the next job. This time it was the Ministry who came over for a chat. As I was sporting arguably the world's largest sky sports logo on my truck, they weren't that interested. Just asked if I was running tachos, when I said I wasn't they just had a look at my licence and gave the truck a cursory once-over.
My logbook was 2 weeks out of date, so I was frantically filling it in while they checked my licence and truck.
I was also trying not to breath out of the window as we'd had a bit of a session the night before, and to my shame, I suspect I was over the limit that morning.
The car was in 1991, a knackered old capri, and they were having a bit of a spot check session on old bangers. I'd got my grandmother in the passenger seat, which I think helped. Got a spot of friendly advice to stick a bit of gaffer tape over some cracked body filler as it was a tad sharp.
The van was a 1980 Sherpa van, ex GPO with sliding doors, I was on my way to play the piano for a little Methodist church in the next town. Motorcycle copper this time, he'd followed the old red POS and decided it was worth a tug. I just got a producer for that.
Final pull was in late 1999 in a truck. I'd been on the road an hour or so, and we pulled into a service area for a spot of breakfast. Think we'd been covering a Footy match at 'Boro, and were heading to the next job. This time it was the Ministry who came over for a chat. As I was sporting arguably the world's largest sky sports logo on my truck, they weren't that interested. Just asked if I was running tachos, when I said I wasn't they just had a look at my licence and gave the truck a cursory once-over.
My logbook was 2 weeks out of date, so I was frantically filling it in while they checked my licence and truck.
I was also trying not to breath out of the window as we'd had a bit of a session the night before, and to my shame, I suspect I was over the limit that morning.
In 41 years ,2 radar traps,1 chased by a met police bike at 6am, all sp30 fines and points, pulled in trucks 11times in the last 9 months, all in unmarked 7.5ton boxs ,9 times northern section of the M25 for white van checks every time I have been empty ,5 mins delay and on my way, once on A14 in Suffolk for ADR check , this ended in a prohibition as the extinguishers which were in a sealed ADR kit were out of date, once on the A299 in kent by a bike cop doing white van checks again empty.
Par for the job I just wish they were as active with the school run and commuting muppets.
Par for the job I just wish they were as active with the school run and commuting muppets.
In 41 years ,2 radar traps,1 chased by a met police bike at 6am, all sp30 fines and points, pulled in trucks 11times in the last 9 months, all in unmarked 7.5ton boxs ,9 times northern section of the M25 for white van checks every time I have been empty ,5 mins delay and on my way, once on A14 in Suffolk for ADR check , this ended in a prohibition as the extinguishers which were in a sealed ADR kit were out of date, once on the A299 in kent by a bike cop doing white van checks again empty.
Par for the job I just wish they were as active with the school run and commuting muppets.
Par for the job I just wish they were as active with the school run and commuting muppets.
3 times in my entire driving career (12 years)
Micheal wood services, had an Iveco 18 tonner with a slightly wobbly cab step. It was 9 months in to It's MOT so vosa man said it "was about time they looked at it" so PG9ed it.
Traffic cop in a layby near kings Lynn spent an hour going through my tachos. Kept referring to his "big black book of traffic laws" I suspect if he actually knew what he was looking at I may have came away with a fine!
Going on holiday with the caravan. Pulled into a multi agency check at Strensham services. Vosa under the caravan with toffee hammers etc, police all over my car tyres, lights, license, insurance check etc. No problems.
Micheal wood services, had an Iveco 18 tonner with a slightly wobbly cab step. It was 9 months in to It's MOT so vosa man said it "was about time they looked at it" so PG9ed it.
Traffic cop in a layby near kings Lynn spent an hour going through my tachos. Kept referring to his "big black book of traffic laws" I suspect if he actually knew what he was looking at I may have came away with a fine!
Going on holiday with the caravan. Pulled into a multi agency check at Strensham services. Vosa under the caravan with toffee hammers etc, police all over my car tyres, lights, license, insurance check etc. No problems.
Is a wobbly step really a reason to prohibit it? There are enough hanging foreign vehicles running around to keep them busy surely, without having to resort to nonsense like that.
It also affects your traffic light as well as as financially imacting the vehicle/driver/operator whilst its off the road being prepared and tested. ishness of the highest order.
It also affects your traffic light as well as as financially imacting the vehicle/driver/operator whilst its off the road being prepared and tested. ishness of the highest order.
GC8 said:
Immediate prohibition or did you get some form of delay?
Escorted to a safe parking area and prohibited until legal extinguishers arrived, by which time I was out of spread, so swapped trucks and had another night out.I shall not be renewing my ADR when it expires, biggest load of old grollocks , dreamt up by civil servants to confuse those that nothing better to do.
i passed my class 1 about 5 weeks ago. and on my very first day of driving a lorry commercially, about 4 hours into my shift, i got pulled over for a tachograph check at the vosa station in perth for a tachograph check, it was a police volvo and i think he used the "dont like the look of that" technique. i explained that i had only just passed my test, and only had half a tachograph for them to analyse, they had a quick poke ariund the truck, saw that the truckcand trailer mot were new, and let me on my way. then on the same week, satjrday to be precise, i got pulled by a vosa anpr ford galaxy/s-max into blyth services where they did a mechanical and tachograph (though he only quickly eyeballed them). i asked if it was because i looked like im im a shonker of a truck and he explained the anpr traffic light system, but he seemed to explain is as a time delay thing rather than a dodgy operator thing as listed above. Anyways, i've done 2 weeks without getting another one, so i guess vosa sill be pulling me over again shortly.
i assume the supermarkets and big companies like eddie stobarts dont really get pulled over for this kind of thing as their equipment and paperwork is always 100%, with them having their routes planned for them.
i assume the supermarkets and big companies like eddie stobarts dont really get pulled over for this kind of thing as their equipment and paperwork is always 100%, with them having their routes planned for them.
I was stopped on my first day too, and it was my birthday! They didnt give me a card but they both chipped in for a PG9.
The vehicle had just been tested as it was and it was tested again a few days later with the same bogus 'fault'.
I have no issue with every defective vehicle being prohibited, but that was ridiculous. On the plus side, I realised what they can be like and endeavoured to avoid VOSA from that point onwards, even detouring or avoiding areas completely when I knew that they were there.
The vehicle had just been tested as it was and it was tested again a few days later with the same bogus 'fault'.
I have no issue with every defective vehicle being prohibited, but that was ridiculous. On the plus side, I realised what they can be like and endeavoured to avoid VOSA from that point onwards, even detouring or avoiding areas completely when I knew that they were there.
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