Some drivers go their whole lives without getting a VOSA pull - I got my second one in 6 months today! Heading out of West Thurrock towards the M25, and got waved into the check point there - it was absolutely full! Queued up to go over the axle weigher, but as I got to it and was chatting to the girl operating it, she took one look at the metal thing strapped onto the bed (in our 18 ton flat bed today), and decided there wasn’t any point in weighing me. She then asked the VOSA guy if he wanted me, he took one look and said no, so I wriggled around everybody else in the queue and made my way out.
Not sure whether to feel rejected or relieved (as I had a 4h31m drive session on my card - surely a life sentence!). Felt sorry for some of them there though, looks as though some were going to have a few hours to themselves!
I used to get pulled into the checkpoint in Stirling quite regularly on my way back from Dundee when working for Lynx. I was always empty and for all the trucks were scabby looking, they were always 100% in order. Got to the point I think the VOSA guys got fed up seeing me and they used to just send me back out of the checkpoint without even checking anything.
Been with my current employer for nearly 6yrs now and haven’t been pulled by VOSA once. Watck this, I’ll Probably get pulled tomorrow after saying that.
I think OCRS scores are a joke. We had 12 lorries, we got pulled very regular, So the law of averages dictates that they’ll find something wrong eventually. Then you’ve got the other side, Those that never get pulled. If they don’t get pulled, Then they’ll never find anything wrong.
For me it was like being victimised in one way, but it benefited me in another. Getting a clean bill of health and a receipt for it off vosa put me in a good position abroad.
Think about it from a VOSA point of view. Why bother pulling an Asda or Morrisons vehicle? Chances are the driver will have done a daily check and be hounded if he doesn’t. Any defects will be sorted, no question of driving if ther’s a problem.
This is what annoys me when there’s a local clamp down. Vosa stop the worst vehicles they find and 9 out of 10 have some defect but the headlines scream " 9 out 10 trucks on our roads are dangerous"
In fact the headline should say, " VOSA looked for the worst looking scabby trucks to stop because they won’t find any defects with a major supermarket fleet that wouldn’t risk it’s reputation for the cost of a tyre and VOSA found that their instincts were correct and 9 out of 10 that were stopped were dangerous"
I’ve been pulled into a nut and bolt check by plod and then waved on by reputation when the nut and bolt guy has seen the name on the side of the truck. He knew the firm had good maintenance procedures.
So that could have been the reason for you being waved on.
I know for fact that a Large supermarket chain no names or drill pack was pulled on the m6 around Birmingham just before Christmas and was given 3 immediate prohibitions. axle weights. serious brake defect and a fuel leak.
