Dorset Police’s roads policing officers took part in a national initiative focusing on commercial vehicle safety.
Every driver of a commercial vehicle has a responsibility to know how to keep their vehicle safe, secure their load and meet the necessary legal requirements.
A commercial vehicle can cause significant harm if it is involved in a road traffic collision and that is why it is vitally important that officers have been raising awareness of making sure these vehicles are safe to drive.
Unsafe loads put all road users at risk of injury if items become loose and fall onto the road.
As part of a two-week national campaign, officers from the Roads Policing Team and Commercial Vehicle Unit have been proactively engaging with commercial vehicle drivers to ensure that their vehicles are loaded correctly and do not pose a risk to other road users. This involved two targeted enforcement days of action working alongside the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Between Monday, 26 January and Sunday, 8 February 2026, 64 motorists were dealt with for a variety of offences including driving without insurance, driving without a valid MOT, having an insecure load, driving at excess speed, using a mobile phone, having a vehicle in a dangerous condition, carrying an overweight load and exceeding drivers’ hours.
In addition to this, four arrests were made after drivers were reportedly found to be over the drug-driving limit. Three vehicles were seized and five vehicles were prohibited.
The Camera Safety Team was also deployed across the two-week period and identified 81 commercial vehicles travelling over the speed limit.
Police Sergeant Dave Cotterill, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “This targeted work was carried out as part of our continuous efforts to keep the roads safe and reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in a road traffic collision.
“The figures do not represent all commercial vehicle drivers and we are grateful to those who drive safely and within the law.
“Sadly, some commercial vehicle drivers are insistent on ignoring the regulations and believe they do not apply to them. One company was stopped for the third time and we have engaged directly with them and arranged education with all their drivers, meaning safer roads for us and no impact on their business for them.
“While these operations focus on road safety, our proactive approach means we are able to identify other criminal offences. During these weeks, we located and arrested a man who was wanted for unrelated offences, demonstrating how we are committed to being tough on crime.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility – if you have concerns about a road user, please report them to us by visiting www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101.”
Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner David Sidwick said: “These results show why road safety campaigns like this are still so important.
“There is no excuse for any of the behaviour displayed by these drivers during this initiative and I hope it sends a very clear warning we will not be tolerate anything which puts road users in Dorset at risk.
“My thanks go to Dorset Police’s Road Policing Team for their work during this operation. Together, with the people of Dorset, we can all help to keep our roads safe for everyone.”
