The FTA has reacted angrily to EU proposals to put tachographs on light commercial vehicles as an “unfair and excessive exercise in red tape”.

The EU proposals that angered the FTA comes from the European Parliament’s transport committee as part of its latest draft of the Mobility Package that is due to come into force before Brexit happens next year.

Van operators for light commercial vehicles of between 2.4-3.5 tonnes will be required to fit and operate tachographs in much the same way as HGV operators have to do at present.

“Forgetting the cost implications of tachograph installation for so many hard-working British businesses, the introduction of this equipment in the vans sector would be pointless and time consuming,” said FTA deputy chief executive James Hookham.

“Introducing a pointless measure like tachographs for van operators will not benefit our small and medium sized businesses but strangle them with red tape, at a time when they should be being encouraged to flourish and expand.”

Driver error is a major cause of deaths on roads everywhere. A 2.5 tonne van is just as deadly as a 40 tonne truck should a lapse of judgement be made due to exhaustion on the part of the driver due to exhaustion and overwork. Tachographs could tackle the problem. The FTA it seems pushes against everything that could compromise the bottom line. Could it support safety and environmentally friendly measures one day?