Essex Police to Crack down on HGV Drivers

If you were to undergo HGV training in Essex, you would most likely not be driving along London Road in the town of West Thurrock. That’s because the Thurrock Council established new weight restrictions last summer to prevent HGVs from travelling through the area. Along many stretches of the road, houses are built very close to the pavements, creating inconvenience to homeowners and danger for people walking along the road.

Unfortunately, far too many HGV drivers are ignoring the weight restrictions. Thurrock Council has spent the last several months monitoring the road, leading them to ask the Essex police for help in enforcing the restrictions. Police officials have said they will step up observation and enforcement on London Road.

A Common Problem

We understand the difficulties HGVs pose to small communities like West Thurrock. We also know they are not alone. Small towns all over the UK are finding it more difficult to cope with increasing HGV traffic through their towns. The fact is that older UK roads were simply not built to handle a lot of traffic, let alone large commercial vehicles.

Solving the problem once and for all will require a multi-step approach. First, weight restrictions need to be put in place similar to what have been set down in Essex. Second, new routes need to be developed that allow haulage and transport companies to get where they’re going without causing undue distress, either financially or logistically. Third, all stakeholders need to get together to work out mutually beneficial strategies able to account for the expected traffic increases of the future.

When we say ‘all stakeholders’, that includes:

• government agencies at the national, regional and local levels
• residents and business owners of affected towns
• haulage and transport companies and their representatives.

The responsibility to maintain road integrity and safety does not lie with just one individual or group. It is the responsibility of everyone who enjoys any benefit from local and national road systems. If everyone cooperates, solutions can be found.

About the HGV Training Centre

The HGV Training Centre is one of the most well known names in the commercial driver training sector. We offer HGV training in Essex and beyond, operating more than 45 training facilities across the UK. Our training is based on an approach specifically designed to ensure our students learn and retain the knowledge and skills necessary to be safe and productive drivers.

In addition to HGV training, we also offer training for LGVs, vans, horseboxes and horsebox trailers, buses, coaches, forklift trucks and more. We even provide CPC training and certification to all HGV and PCV licence holders. Along those lines, we would like to remind all current drivers of the looming deadline to receive CPC training. If your training is not completed by 10 September of this year, you might face heavy fines or the loss of your job. Please sign up for training while there’s still plenty of space available in our classes.

Sources:

Your Thurrock – http://www.yourthurrock.com/2014/02/06/council-set-to-get-tough-over-hgv-limit-on-london-road-grays/