Drivers of unsafe or non-compliant HGVs were the hapless recipients. More than 4,000 vehicles have been stopped, with 47 taken off the road and 2,000 roadworthiness prohibitions issued.
London's transport commissioner, Sir Peter Hendy CBE today (Thursday 22 January) joined freight industry leaders and representatives from the DfT and DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) to watch the task force carrying out roadside operations at Millbank.
One recent prosecution secured by the task force was against Recycled Material Supplies concerning a 32-tonne tipper at Billingsgate Market. The vehicle was not licensed to a specific operator but was being used by RMS, which was convicted on 5 January 2015 for not specifying the vehicle on on its O licence.
"These results show that our task force is going from strength to strength to identify and take action against dangerous and non-compliant operators and drivers of HGVs, particularly construction vehicles, on London's roads," said Hendy.
"These enforcement results send out a clear message to everyone concerned that we will not tolerate or put other road users, cyclists or pedestrians at risk through the actions of the minority," he continued.
DVSA head of policy Malcolm Tipping added: "Drivers and operators should be in no doubt that if they choose to work outside the law and put innocent road users at risk, they will face serious consequences."
And FTA (Freight Transport Association) head of urban logistics policy Christopher Snelling commented: "It should be remembered that every day over 360,000 tonnes of goods are moved by thousands of lorries in London. The examples of non-compliance found by the IHTF are not representative of the industry as whole as they are based on a highly targeted operation."
Established by the Mayor of London, TfL and DfT, the IHTF has carried out more than 200 roadside operations over the last 16 months, complementing the working of the newly formed TfL and MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC).
Officers from the IHTF conduct a variety of checks during their operations, such as vehicle tyres, steering, brakes and loads, confirming appropriate driver and O licences are in place, and ensuring drivers have not exceeded their driver hour limits.