Was on the M25 today. Parked on the hard shoulder was a VOSA Galaxy, inbetween 8 and 9. Got to 9 and the tapping shed was open.
OK
So far, nothing unusual.
But it was
01.30 this morning.
Leatherhead is a very busy Weighbridge as are Stafford, Carlisle… Dartford seems a hot spot… They basically work round the clock.
I’m not seeing the unusual? Stafford was open in the wee small hours on a couple of nights last week, and is regularly so. Trucks work 24/7, VOSA work 24/7.
The VOSA weighbridge and wheeltapping area at Dunkirk (end of M56) is frequently open at times/days that would have been considered unusual a few years ago.
I also have to say that I’ve seen many occasions when there were ONLY foreign registered trucks being checked at Dunkirk, so any theories that VOSA only ever pull Brits are untrue.
SWEDISH BLUE:
Was on the M25 today. Parked on the hard shoulder was a VOSA Galaxy, inbetween 8 and 9.
VOSA usually wait just past J8 on the A carriageway (outside), wait for stuff that looks interesting and then follow them, overtake them and bob’s yer uncle etc, in they go.
If you go off at the junction 9, go round the roundabout, take the exit before the motorway, go down the dual carriageway and look to the right, there is a fenced off compound for trucks to be held in if they are found to have defects, drivers hours offences etc etc. There is also a layby there for you to park in but the compound was added a couple of years ago. You can spin round the next roundabout and rejoin the motorway but you have to go along the dual carriageway again.
They are open all hours of the day and night 24/7. I live and have driven lorries in the Surrey area for over 20 years and the long term plan is to have this site open 24/7.
I have also seen the guys waiting on the roundabout at J10 M25 Wisley looking over the bridge watching traffic heading towards Reigate and again, if they spot something, you will get tugged. 90% of the time it is usually the foreigen registered trucks that get pulled but on a quiet night anything is fair game. I have spent the last few years working for the Supermarket with blue trucks and on a quiet Saturday night even although we have a top VOSA score, we are fair game 
It just enforces the theory that once VOSA becomes self funding that the days of common sense will go right out of the window, Oh I forgot, they have already… 
“Dorking” has always worked “strange” hours, from the storms of 1987 when we started pulling fallen timber out of Boxhill and further East at Tilmanstone Colliery.
Several times we were the preferred choice of the stop squad 
We ended up on first name terms with the VOSA guys and the magistrates in Dorking 
Just to remind you of the situation.
During the night of October 15th 1987 the southern part of England was hit by the worst storm in over 250 years. By the time the storm dissipated the following day it had left a trail of destruction across the country, killing at least 18 people. The storms also ravaged France, adding a further four people to the death toll.
i got lifted a few weeks ago northbound M6 , just south of jct 14 it was gone midnight . nothing unusual about seeing vosa vehicles hanging around at that hour .
I seem to remember reading something a while ago about them having ANPR system in the cars. I think they use a traffic light system of grading hauliers depending on mot failures and any other issues. Anything with a green light probably gets left alone whereas a red light will garuntee a pull.
skids:
I seem to remember reading something a while ago about them having ANPR system in the cars. I think they use a traffic light system of grading hauliers depending on mot failures and any other issues. Anything with a green light probably gets left alone whereas a red light will garuntee a pull.
Correct skids it’s called an OCRS …operator compliance recognition score and the haulage industry is graded on a traffic light system red(pulled every time) Amber(pulled every other time) green( left alone but pulled when vosa are quiet …the score is compilied from mot tests tacho infringements roadside pulls etc etc
Interesting as I passed leatherhead last night about 930pm and it was all shut and locked up, I sways have a nose there to see what’s what
Went past the shed on Anglesey last week and the yard was full of our Irish brothers.
The shed on the 556 last Thursday has a couple of our foreign friends in there.
they also have weight sensors on the 25 they get a reading so if your a tad over in you go 