Focus on heavy traffic during the week

In Linköping and Norrköping, about ten traffic police work in each city. It is about checks on both vehicles and drivers, says Svante Viking, who is the group manager for the traffic police in Linköping.

- One of the bigger parts is about controlling driving and rest times, he says.

Drivers who do not get the rest they need pose a safety risk both for themselves and for other road users.

Is it much to do with the rest times?

- Both yes and no. There are many small misses, where the drivers have been driving a little too long. But we are looking at whether there is a pattern, whether it is cheating all the time or whether it is about occasional occasions, says Svante Viking.

When it comes to driving and rest times, the traffic police control the driving time of foreign and Swedish drivers one month back.

- Our view is that there are no major differences, says Svante Viking.

In addition to driving and rest times, load securing, inspection of the vehicles is checked for lamps, tires and brakes. In addition, the equipment for those who carry dangerous goods is checked.

- It's about making sure they have the equipment they need to carry dangerous goods, for example, if it starts to leak, says Svante Viking.

Cabotage is also checked. It is a question that foreign transport companies stationed in one EU country have the right, under certain conditions, to carry out domestic transport in another EU country.

- We have already had an illegal cabotage. Where the driver has driven more national transports than is permitted. We then contact the Swedish Transport Agency, which decides on a penalty fee of SEK 40,000. We have the right to hold the transport for 36 hours, so they can get the money, says Svante Viking.

The penalty fee must be paid by the haulage company. Taxi control also includes taxis, but it is mainly transport that is in focus, says Svante Viking.

- We usually have special checks on taxi traffic. Now we work mainly on the major roads, he says.

During Monday, Tuesday and half Wednesday, the police reported the following deviations:

During these days, 11 Swedish registered equipages and 8 foreign registered equipages were checked and these deficiencies were reported:

2 vehicle shortages on inspection

2 equipage speed violation

1 equipage violation of driving and rest time regulation

1 vehicle overload

1 case of illegal cabotage

4 cases of violation of driving and rest times

3 vehicles blocked by continued travel (applies to a case of unlawful cabotage, a case of overload and a case where the driver drove too far without rest, the driver was reported and forced to take a daily rest.)