Italian driver Riccardo Poliandria, aged 39, had his Volvo truck valued at £46,000, confiscated and was fined £1,400 with a 45-day jail term if payment was not made immediately for falsifying his tacho records.

He had pleaded guilty at Carlisle Magistrates Court to four counts of falsifying records. The truck, owned and operated by Italian firm Autuori Trasporti, had been stopped by VOSA and examined by Cumbria police. It was found that a manipulation had occurred in the recording equipment that allowed the driver to record ‘rest’ whilst driving.

The RHA, which urges mandatory jail terms on those falsifying tachograph records, has welcomed both the tough action by the court and the collaboration between VOSA and Cumbria police.