From the 5th March 2018, the rules around fining drivers for committing driving hours offences are changing. When the new rules come into effect, if you’re caught you could be fined up to £300 and can also be prosecuted or have your vehicle immobilised. It won’t just apply to offences committed that day, but anytime the rules are broken in the last 28 days, meaning the fines can be huge.
At the moment, The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) can only fine drivers for:
• offences committed that day
• ongoing offences, like manipulating tachograph records, which record drivers’ hours
Here’s what you need to know when the rules change:
• From Monday 5th March 2018, DVSA traffic examiners will start issuing on the spot fines for any drivers’ hours offences committed in the last 28 days.
• In a single road check, traffic examiners can issue fines for up to 5 drivers hours’ offences
• You can be fined up to £1,500 in a single check if you’ve consistently broken the rules
• It doesn’t matter if the offences took place in Great Britain or elsewhere
• The fines also apply to drivers who don’t live in Great Britain, however, they will need to pay any fines immediately, before being allowed to continue on their journey.
Since the 1st November 2018, the DVSA has started to fine drivers up to £300 if they spend their full weekly rest break in their vehicle in places where it causes a problem.
Find out more about the changes on the gov.uk website.
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