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Police crackdown on road safety in unmarked lorry

Wiltshire Police are using a HGV to crack down on driving offences

Officers in an unmarked lorry covertly patrolling a motorway have seen people driving without seatbelts, using mobile phones and even exercising with dumbbells at the wheel.

Officers from Wiltshire Police are using the lorry on the M4 to spot drivers committing the five fatal offences.

Once the officers catch evidence, a trailing convoy of marked police cars is informed and the offender is safely stopped.

During an operation on Tuesday, special constable Bill Kingsmill called Operation Tramline a "strong deterrent".

National Highways Four marked police cars parked alongside a white HGV lorry cab at an industrial estate. The HGV cab towers above the cars, making it easier for police officers to see into the cabs of other lorries. National Highways
Operation Tramline runs multiple times a year in a bid to crack down on road safety

He added: "It is there for their [motorists] safety.

"It's not a pleasant experience for people like ourselves that have to deal with the aftermath if somebody hasn't taken the simple precaution of wearing their seatbelt."

National Highways, who provide the unmarked HGV cab, has been collaborating with police to target dangerously-driven commercial vehicles across the country.

Wiltshire Police are using the covert lorry cab eight times a year and said they have already seen people with dumbbells rigged up in a lorry and watching movies.

An Wiltshire Police officer in black uniform on the passenger side of the lorry cab looks through his side window towards the cab of an HGV in the adjacent lane of the M4.
Officers are able to see into lorry cabs to check for offences such as using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt

Sgt Neil Bott, from Wiltshire’s Roads Policing Team, said the most common offence is not wearing a seatbelt.

He said: "While some of the offences may seem insignificant, they are being committed by people controlling vehicles weighing several tonnes, when a momentary lapse in concentration could result in a fatal collision.

"Operation Tramline sends a strong message to those individuals – you are not invisible from the height of your HGV cab, and you will face prosecution if you are caught breaking the law."

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