Garda checkpoints to target rogue hauliers

Gardaí and customs officials are to target rogue hauliers in a three-day joint operation aimed at disrupting unlicensed haulage…

Gardaí and customs officials are to target rogue hauliers in a three-day joint operation aimed at disrupting unlicensed haulage operators, untaxed fuel and illegal waste transport.

The nationwide campaign follows claims by the haulage industry that up to a fifth of all hauliers working in Ireland are bogus.

Assistant Garda Commissioner Eddie Rock said there were indications that a significant number of operators were not registered or licensed.

The haulage industry has told gardaí that it estimates between 6 per cent and 20 per cent of heavy goods contractors were not compliant with the road transport regulations.

Mr Rock, who heads up the Garda Traffic Corps, said the multi-agency checkpoints would be staged near border crossings, at sea ports and elsewhere.

It is believed a number of hauliers from outside the jurisdiction have not received Department of Transport-issued community authorisation.

There are also claims of agricultural vehicles, including tractors and trailers, being used for the unregulated transport of heavy goods for commercial purposes.

PA

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