Lorry drivers manipulate tachographs

(CS) In a special operation on Thursday, customs officers caught 10 lorry drivers who had manipulated their tachograph so that it records a rest period even though the driver is actually on the road.

The operation was part of specialised training carried out at the Dudelange border crossing between 9am and 2pm, involving authorities from Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

For the first time a new machine, which allows officers to log onto the lorry's board computer to monitor engine activity, was used.

Ten tachographs were found to have been manipulated by magnet to record rest periods, even though the driver was on the road. In seven other tachographs calibration was found to be non compliant.

In total, 36 lorries were checked.

Specialists said that this puts Luxembourg on par with the Netherlands and Belgium, where roughly every third lorry sports a manipulated tachograph.

Tachographs are used to monitor lorry drivers, to ensure that they make sufficient rest stops on long-haul routes.