www.truckandtrack.com Winter 2023 Truck and Track 61 DANGEROUS GOODS It was a privilege to be invited to attend a chilly November day at Sandbach services observing Police Officers as they carried out their vehicle inspections. The operation was managed and hosted by the Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) of the North West Motorway Police Group, who were joined by enforcement officers from around the country. Vehicles bearing orange ADR placards were, at random, directed to a designated area alongside the services. Once parked, an officer would approach the driver, check their credentials, and conduct a thorough check of the vehicle and its load. One of the first vehicles that came in was a 5-ton truck normally used for carrying lithium batteries. On this occasion, however, the load consisted of batteries that were not classified as dangerous goods, yet the orange ADR plates were on display. There were a couple of other similar breaches during the day and, each time, officers explained to the driver the importance of not showing placards when dangerous goods are not being carried – for example, if a vehicle with orange placards were involved in an incident, it would be considered a greater risk and treated differently by the emergency services. For some of the day I ”shadowed” PC Chris Leah from Norfolk Constabulary. Chris has a particular process that he follows when undertaking an ADR vehicle check. Firstly, he wants to know if the driver is qualified, insured and licenced to drive the vehicle, so he would look at the driver’s documents, including driving licence, ADR certificate and the tachograph readings. Chris then inspects the paperwork relating to the load. The “Instructions in Writing” must be the current version and be immediately accessible. The Dangerous Goods Note (DGN)/ Transport Document must also be be readily available, complete, and compliant. Having already scanned the vehicle on its arrival, it’s now time for Chris to check it over more thoroughly. After assessing the overall condition of the vehicle and markings, Chris checks that the fire extinguishers are as prescribed and within the latest test expiry date, and that the ADR spill kit is complete and in good order. Finally, it’s time to take a close look at what is being carried. The content of the load is checked against the DGN, then it is inspected to see if it has been secured and loaded in accordance with the regulations. Hazard labels and markings must comply with ADR and, if necessary, the manuals (purchased from Labeline) are consulted to check that product classification and packing instructions etc. have been followed. Chris emphasised the importance of having a set procedure: “We each have our specific ways of carrying out the checks to make sure that we cover all bases. However, all the information Enforcement of Dangerous Goods Regulations Labeline’s Compliance Manager Richard Shreeve In the Autumn issue of Truck and Track, Richard Shreeve, Labeline’s Compliance Manager, discussed the enforcement of the Dangerous Goods Regulations In this article he reports from a police commercial vehicle checkpoint on the M6 No UN numbers displayed on the Overpacks Insecure Load of Hazardous goods Representatives from many of the UK’s Police Forces, Government Departments, Industry Specialists and Trade Associations attended the enforcement check
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