Fine dodging foreign lorries

[italianjob1275]

I follow the @HGVcops twitter account who work pulling lorries into a checkpoint in Cheshire.

Anyway today they've pulled a Greek HGV owning £4750 in fines to U.K. Border force

A Spanish one owing £12500, and a Romanian owing £500.

Now with us being an island surely we should be not letting these people leave the country! Even my local Sainsbury's has ANPR checking how long you've stayed for!

Does anyone know the reason why we can't do this?

[carlpea]

So you're saying it should work both ways if you speed in another country, or just for our benefit in the UK?

[italianjob1275]

On the spot fines ain't they?

Rather than a "now promise me you'll be a good boy and pay this"

[Vaud]

Does anpr work on non U.K. Plates?

[italianjob1275]

Just to clarify these aren't speeding fines. The fines by U.K. Border agency will be for bringing in illegal immigrants. They immigrants get pulled out the trailer and the driver gets a bill.

He toddles off back to mainland Europe and six months later gets pulled in Cheshire and an unpaid fine is discoverd.

How many get away with it?

[OldGermanHeaps]

Vaud said:

Does anpr work on non U.K. Plates?

The ones i fit do. Dunno about the government ones.

[jmorgan]

I thought all wagons get weighed on the way out the UK on a ferry. Stick a card reader at the ticket machine at the weigh bridge. Pay or you go no further (obvious parking up area for issues.......).

Not sure what they do at the Tunnel but do the same.

[herewego]

What happened to the guys stopped in Cheshire, were they held until payment made?

[S11Steve]

Vaud said:

Does anpr work on non U.K. Plates?

Yes, as in they can be read, but no, in the sense that they are not on the DVLA database to check instantly.

Things like the Congestion Charge and Dart toll get passed to a toothless outfit called EPC plc, who also handle fines from across Europe (https://www.epcplc.com/issuing_organisations) and try to pester payment out of the UK Registered Keeper.

After numerous conversations with them, they have finally admitted that they can't actually enforce the charges through the court system, either civil court or TEC at Northampton. I've said that I'd be happy to work with them to identify the drivers, and deal with any appeals, but they insist that they will only accept payments, not appeals...

They are now filed in the bin, and have been for a year.

[Nickyboy]

Depends what the fines are for, fixed penalties now have to be paid on the spot by the driver or company, if they've been issued by another means for something else then there is no way to chase them unless they impound the vehicle (which they should IMHO)

[herewego]

Nickyboy said:

Depends what the fines are for, fixed penalties now have to be paid on the spot by the driver or company, if they've been issued by another means for something else then there is no way to chase them unless they impound the vehicle (which they should IMHO)

I doubt any of these fines on foreign drivers are ever collected.

[italianjob1275]

herewego said:

What happened to the guys stopped in Cheshire, were they held until payment made?

Yes. Immobilised with the green chain of naughtiness.

[Nickyboy]

italianjob1275 said:

Yes. Immobilised with the green chain of naughtiness.

They're for hours offences, nothing to do with fines. It's to physically stop them driving until they've had the rest needed to make them legal again.

If the truck is impounded it towed to an agents yard, our local one had 2 Romanians parked up there for nearly 2 weeks awaiting release for fines.

[Craigyp79]

Border Force can and does impound lorries for non-payment of fine, there are regular operations at most major ports to identify and impound offenders.

The problem is, as usual a lack of resources to do it all the time.