“Unusual" is how the Polish Road Traffic Inspectorate described a tachograph switch that officers had discovered during an inspection of a lorry and driver from Moldova. A magnet placed near the built-in radio frame made it possible for the tachograph to record rest times while driving.
During the inspection on the Polish national road No. 2, the inspectors found a tachograph switch that allowed the truck’s driver to record a rest period at any time, even if the vehicle was in motion.
Using a magnet to manipulate the tachograph is not a very new or inventive way to avoid fines, but the inspectors found the way the magnet was placed in this case especially innovative. All the driver had to do was put a small magnet next to the built-in frame of the radio, and the tachograph immediately started recording rest time.
To be fair, the driver did not use the switch on his last trip to Moldova, but this did not save him from being punished for possessing a prohibited device – 12,000 zlotys PLN collected from him (which is nearly 2,500 euros). And this is just the deposit for the coming fine.
In addition, the driver had to pay for the replacement of the device and the pulse transmitter.
