VOSA targets ‘White Van Man’

[woody3]

£100 mine £35+vat ,

 

merc main dealer:biggrin: they pick up, service overnight and returned next morning

[Mick Annick]

A few observations on VOSA and the start of this thread (I've been in road haulage for 35 years and have had a few brushes with them...)

 

They will always target unmarked vehicles, on the basis that if you're not using your vehicle to advertise your business you may have something to hide. Drive a tidy looking vehicle with the name of your business and contact details on it and you are less likely to be of interest to them. It's no coincidence that you'll rarely see a Tesco or Eddie Stobart truck in a roadside check.

 

If your truck is a bit scabby and dirty that's another reason to look a little closer at you - if you can't be bothered with a bit of basic maintenance chances are there're defects to be found

 

They have jurisdiction over all vehicles on the road, not just heavy stuff, and can pull anyone

 

On many roads, including motorways, particularly near their depots, there are dynamic weighing loops in the road surface - they have in-vehicle displays linked to them so can see which vehicles passing them are overloaded!

 

They also have infra red(?) thermometers they can point at vehicle hubs to see if bearings are overheating - one of the causes of wheel loss on heavy trucks, but gives them an excuse to pull you

 

Whilst the rules and regs are a bit onerous they are designed to keep the roads (and us safe) and do help to keep some of the idiots out there in check

 

If you do get pulled for being overweight they will not let you carry on, and will insist on you getting someone out with another vehicle to split the load - so always have a mate's phone number handy!

 

Don't be afraid to ask their advice, particularly if they stop you, those that show an interest in complying with the rules do, in my experience, get treated less harshly.

[Peter]

Also Tesco and Eddie Stobart have a good OCS, and a team of crack lawyers on staff to deal with potential prosecutions.

[Si Stevenson]

Think I may change my business name....... Eddie Stobart Tree Services........ they may even make a program about me, dramatising my arrival/late arrival at jobs!

[treequip]

Be carefull what you buy, I was once the proud owner of a defender that had been caught on red twice by a previous owner and had a marker on the computer

 

I was on first name terms with the blokes at the local stop check.

[Shane]

It may seem unfair but how?

 

Ever thought how you would feel if your unroadworthy vehicle killed someone. Is it not better for people driving such vehicles to be stopped and heavily fined rather than cause a death?

 

If you are running a properly maintained vehicle, carrying a load which is within the law then why worry?

 

If they stop the cowboys and the alluminium dwellers then all the better.

 

Life is full of hassles and costs - so what? Instead of comparing your hard life with that of a rock star or some hypothetical dreamland why not look as Syria, Bangladesh, Brazil or anywhere featured on the news. If life here is such a pain do something positive and either fight it legitimately (start campaigning etc.) or find an alternative elsewhere.

 

In the mean time lets pray that nobody is injured by an unroadworthy vehicle which should have been stopped.

[gensetsteve]

What ever job you do with experience you get a nose for how to do it best. You get this talent for creating a proffessional result. I am sure Vosa are no different they can spot an overloaded knackered transit double cab from 2 miles away.