More than 20 light goods vehicles (LGVs) were stopped and inspected during a multi-agency operation on the M4 near Swindon last week.
Last Thursday officers from Wiltshire Police’s specialist operations, roads policing unit and collision investigation unit led the day of action at Badbury Weighbridge, at Junction 15.
They were supported by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and the aim was to target vehicles using the M4 corridor and local arterial routes, checking for excess weight, insecure loads, construction and use concerns and those deemed to be in a dangerous condition.
They stopped and inspected more than 20 LGVs and almost half were immediately prohibited and remained at Badbury to wait for repairs to defective parts or for support vehicles to unload excessive weights to make them legal to continue their journeys.
The average penalty issued to drivers was £300, with some drivers being handed £900 fines.
One of the vehicles stopped, a Mercedes Sprinter with a maximum authorised mass of 3,500kg, weighed more than 5,200kg.
It was deemed to be in a dangerous condition as the excess weight was placing huge pressure on the rear axle, posing a significant risk of rupturing the tyres and causing serious injury.
The driver was not only fined for the excessive weight matters, but was also issued a Traffic Offence Report for the vehicle’s dangerous condition, meaning he will now receive three penalty points and a £100 fine.
PC Luke Hobbs, from Wiltshire Police’s roads policing unit, said overloaded vehicles caused a huge risk to the vehicle’s driver, as well as other road users.
He said: “As a driver of any vehicle, it is your responsibility to ensure the roadworthiness of a vehicle is in good order. As well as confirming your documents are correct, you must be satisfied that the goods you are carrying are safely loaded and within the weight limit of the vehicle you are driving and qualified to drive.
“If you run a business and part of your service includes transporting goods, you have a duty of care and responsibility to ensure the vehicle you are instructing to work on behalf of your business is legitimate and safe. If you need to transport larger weights than can be achieved by a LGV, please consider using other vehicles, organising multiple trips or using the services of an alternative courier service.
“As it stands the penalty for an overweight vehicle is often a fixed penalty notice, however it is also an option for drivers to be reported to court should it be deemed appropriate. Please do not put yourselves and other road users at risk, by allowing the vehicle you are using to be in a dangerous or illegal condition.”
