Commercial vehicles inspected during road safety campaign

Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Joint Operations Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) have been actively participating in a national two-week initiative led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

This specialist CVU team, part of the Roads Policing Unit, is dedicated to ensuring the safety and compliance of commercial vehicle traffic across Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. As a collaborative unit, they play a crucial role in enforcing regulations, improving road safety and tackling issues specific to commercial transport.

The Commercial Vehicle Unit helps to ensure road safety by monitoring light and heavy goods vehicles on our roads. These vehicles can often cause the most harm in the event of road traffic collisions.

The CVU worked in collaboration with partners throughout the week of activity including the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Immigration Enforcement and other police forces.

During the two-week initiative, they examined a total of 166 commercial vehicles.

• 135 of these vehicles had at least one road traffic offence identified 
• 47 vehicles were prohibited due to dangerous defects and 13 referrals were made to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner or DVSA
• 350 road traffic offences were detected in total
• Issued 58 roadside fines, some with up to 6 points
• 6 arrests were made

Those who drive commercial vehicles and fail road side drug tests, will be both prosecuted in court and automatically referred to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner where their suitability to safely operate a large goods vehicle is decided separately from a drug related prosecution.

The scope of the CVU covers a large remit and will include compliance from vehicles carrying hazardous goods, plant vehicles used in construction, tractors and farm machinery to name a few.

CVU inspects for overweight vehicles, tachograph and driving hours, insecure loads, and the condition of vehicles, along with the usual traffic offences such as drink/drug driving, use of a mobile phone and inconsiderate driving.

Sergeant Paul Diamond, who leads the unit, said “While many offences were found, they were identified through targeted checks based on risk and intelligence.

“These figures don’t reflect overall industry compliance, as the sector remains highly safe and professional.

“The CVU’s role is to support operators following the law and by removing the small, high-risk minority that pose a danger.”

To find out more about commercial vehicle safety and maintenance head over to GOV.UK for guides about keeping commercial vehicles safe to drive.

Our partners at National Highways have some resources available online. They contain advice and guidance to keep our roads safe and efficient for everyone.