Commercial Vehicle Unit work with partners to keep Port of Tilbury “shipshape”

On Wednesday 10 April, our Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) worked with partners at the Port of Tilbury to ensure vehicles entering the port were roadworthy, compliant and that business vehicles were operating in the spirit of fairness.

The CVU officers were joined in stopping vehicles at the port entrance by Port of Tilbury security staff who were routinely checking paperwork or loads, and representatives from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, as part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s month-long road safety operation.

Port of Tilbury Police’s Matt Bass, Chief of Police, welcomed the partners, saying:
Tilbury has a great heritage and a long history of serving the southeast business community. I’m very proud to serve here and welcome working with partners who can help us keep the port running smoothly.
It’s imperative that the commercial activity isn’t disrupted so that the businesses based here or vehicles coming through the port can operate optimally and safely.

As London’s major port, Tilbury sees 14,000 vehicle movements a day, with the average vehicle being a 45 tonne HGV transporting a range of loads including paper, building materials, metal and glass for recycling, or food stuff such as flour and grain. There is also a very busy terminal offering world-wide cruises.

The port has been established for over 130 years and has a long relationship with Tilbury town, its residents and business community.

Essex Police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit routinely work with colleagues in teams across the force to keep Tilbury and the port’s roads safe and moving. Roads within the port are subject to the Road Traffic Act, and drivers must follow the general rules of the road, just as they would on the highway outside.

During the day-long operation, a container-loaded lorry was stopped by CVU officers who, after examining the safety of the load, issued a temporary prohibition: all four twist locks were broken, meaning the container was precariously perched on top of the base. 

It is a lorry driver’s responsibility to check their vehicle before setting off on their journey, even if they were not responsible for loading it.

The welfare of drivers is also a priority. Driving long distances can be tiring and drivers need regular breaks. A driver can only drive a set number of hours per week: these regulations also include break and rest periods. Colleagues from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency were on hand to check regulation adherence and that each company had systems in place promoting driver welfare and road safety and that their practices promoted fair competition, meaning a level playing field for all operators in a competitive world. 

On the day, CVU officers downloaded tachograph records, something held in every lorry’s cab, showing how long a driver had been on the road and if they had taken a break.

Sergeant Jason Dearsley, who leads the Commercial Vehicle Unit, said:
Road safety is and will continue to be our focus and priority, and we remain committed to working closely with our partners and haulage organisations to achieve that.
We want to ensure that the port and the businesses that use their facilities operate with minimum disruption whilst upholding the utmost regard to the safety of all our road users.

In the last 12 months, our Commercial Vehicle Unit have led operations and deployments across the county in a joined-up effort to support Essex Police’s KSI (killed and seriously injured) reduction efforts.

In the 12 months from April 2023 to March 2024 they have amassed: 

• 1765 stops of which 1359 were HGVs
• 934 traffic offence reports issued
• 164 prohibitions issued for mechanical, overweight and Hazchem reasons
• 37 people arrested
• 54 vehicle seized