good evening all.just a enquiry really im quite a newbie to the trucking world and have only been doing it for 3 months and have never been stopped by the ministry that was until today.i was coming south back down the m74 today from glasgow when i came across the vosa place on approaching it the was a sign saying please enter being displayed and a police bmw parked just before it on the side.i approached not knowing wether to pull in or not as i wasnt sure if the sign was for me or not there was no one from the vosa pointing for me to pull in but as i got closer and closer i looked in my mirror only to see the police car pulling down onto the motorway now im thinking mmmm if i go past im gonna be in trouble so pulled in not that i minded anyway as i had nothing to hide truck and tachos all in order but should i have pulled in only pulled in if i was directed too.the reson im so unsure is a couple of trucks that wernt to far back didnt pull in and just flew past plus ive seen them in other places jumping out in the road pinting trucks in or pulling them over in them vosa people carriers
My understanding is you are only required to stop if instructed to do so by a Police Officer in uniform, VOSA have no formal power to stop you they can only investigate you or the vehicle once stopped. If you were not instructed to pull in by any Police Officer then you would have been OK to keep going. Even on the Vosa stations that are lane filtered, ie signs telling HGV to stick to lane 1 and stop if instructed still need a PC to formalise the request.
If this has changed in any form over the years someone will put me right I’m sure 
That happened to me there a few weeks ago,but a couple of trucks went straight past so I followed them. The police car didn’t even move,so I would assume they have to signal you to pull in 
The signing was altered on the M90 at Stirling,banning trucks from the second(outside) lane last year.I’ve only seen the check-point open once since then,but a police car was waiting at the Dunblane r/a.He followed a truck onto the motorway then pulled in front of him with the “Follow me” sign switched on and led him into the checkpoint. Maybe this is what happens at Beattock.
CM:
VOSA have no formal power to stop you …If this has changed in any form over the years someone will put me right I’m sure
Coffeeholic:
CM:
VOSA have no formal power to stop you …If this has changed in any form over the years someone will put me right I’m sure
Thanks Neil, I knew you could be relied upon. Do you know if the powers to stop have extended to other force area’s or is that 03 dated list the latest?
That is an old list, all I could find with a quick search. I think it is almost, if not, every force now.
Just found this and this is a quote from that page.
How many Police forces have an accreditation agreement with VOSA? There are currently thirty nine Police forces across the country, that have entered into an agreement to accredit VOSA staff and it is anticipated that, subject to agreement by Chief Officers of Police, all Police forces in England and Wales will be part of the scheme by April 2005.
There is one TruckNet memebr who has been doing his power to stop training recently, after his move to the dark side, I am sure he could tell us more.
thanks guys like i said i was unsure what to do for the best as i wasnt instructed of anyone to pull in but i clocked the sign and when it must have appeared to the police that i wernt going to pull in he started edging down onto the hard shoulder maybe if i had have gone past he would have shot after me pulling in front displaying a sign.i didnt get weighed as i was empty so got told to pull straight into the garage bit for the inspection.when i parked in there i clocked the police car hed pulled into the yard did a lap past me then disappered as always i was legal anyway so no probs.ill have to get used to it ditched my 9-5 job of 7 years 3 months ago to start being a truck driver going for my class2 soon so i will be around for a while .i love the job its brill got to see places throughout the uk i would have never been to in my life.great website by the way i read and learnt a lot of things through all you guys posting info.thanks
What about the one just before holyhead.I’m sure that one says ALL trucks to pull in.Their was no one there flagging us down.
I went in and asked if i was supposed to stop and i was told yes.But what about all the ones that are flying past i said and i was told that they had oter patrol cars around to stop them further up the road.
Tony b
why ask me ? i only work for em 
any way we are nearly on 90 percent of all forces have given us powers to stop. with regard to beatock vosa i had a run in with them as the plod just sat on his perch with his blue light flashing so i bowled past only to get tugged down the road after a heated argument i went on my merry way. his excuse was that it was raining ■■?. with holyhead and others included. the sign will say all trucks must pull in. failure to do so will mean failure to obey a traffic sign and or the instuctions of a person with the appropriate authority.the relevant fine being dished out and extra close scrutiny from my colleagues,
Them Beatock Vosa are all soft jessies anyway, its the only vosa site with a roof
As a regular user of the 74, this is what they do. If they want you the cop will stand outside the car and hold up his hand to indicate you to go in. They dont always use the blue lights, as a matter of fact, it’s rare they do. If the cop is sitting in the car he is not interested in you. Just drive on by.
One Monday recently the vosa guys were going daft. They must have ■■■■■■ the cop off so he was pulling everyone, trucks were backed up 100 yards up the motorway! Since this was a weight check, vosa were not pleased he was pulling empty trucks, a couple were new tankers on trade plates! One off them then had to go down the queue to weed out the empty runners.
At Carlisle if you are s/bound the cops will come out of Todhills or the BP station at the Moss and come after you. They will use the blue lights and indicate you to follow them over the flyover at juct. 44.
Alex