0:00:02 > 0:00:05Welcome to a world where nothing is quite as it seems.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08Welcome to Fake Britain.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Get down! Get down!
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Get your hands behind your back now!
0:00:24 > 0:00:29It's just an ordinary house - it could be anywhere in the country,
0:00:29 > 0:00:33but this is the Fake Britain house, and it's filled with fakes.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37You may not know it, but your home could be too.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40In this series, we'll be investigating the criminals,
0:00:40 > 0:00:42trying to get their hands on your cash,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46by using fraud, forgeries and fakery.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51And I'll be showing you how you can avoid being taken for a ride.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54Today, on Fake Britain -
0:00:54 > 0:00:57lorry drivers faking their working hours records...
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Hello, it's the police. Can you open it up, please?
0:00:59 > 0:01:05The driver had been on duty for some 111 hours, 44 minutes.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09..and the devastating effect this illegal tampering
0:01:09 > 0:01:11can have on innocent road users.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14The dangers are astronomical and, in some ways,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17these are ticking time bombs on our roads.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Who can you trust to book your travel?
0:01:20 > 0:01:25We hear how a family of 11 fell victim to fake holiday tickets.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30I stood there thinking, "It's not happening. It's not happening to me."
0:01:35 > 0:01:38This is a tachograph - there's one
0:01:38 > 0:01:41in every lorry on Britain's roads,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45and it produces a written record like this,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48with details of every journey the vehicle takes.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51This can be checked to make sure that the driver
0:01:51 > 0:01:54isn't driving too fast, or for too long.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58The system is designed to make Britain's roads safer.
0:01:58 > 0:02:04But what happens if this has been tampered with, making this a fake?
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Essex, 1pm.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Police and Vehicle Agency officers
0:02:10 > 0:02:12are carrying out a stop-check operation
0:02:12 > 0:02:16on lorry drivers, to see if their vehicles and records are legitimate.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Traffic officer PC Alastair Cuthbertson's heading to
0:02:20 > 0:02:23a vehicle check site, where officers have stopped a driver
0:02:23 > 0:02:27that they suspect has been faking his tachograph chart.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30We're en route up to the weighbridge site,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and my colleagues at VOSA, the Vehicle Operator Service Agency,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37have stopped a Portuguese-registered vehicle,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40and, on checking, they found that his driver's hours are false -
0:02:40 > 0:02:42they're fake records.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45These fake records can't be checked, or verified,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49as showing if he's at rest, is he actually at rest?
0:02:49 > 0:02:52And, um, as a result,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56we'll have a chat with him and see what we get from that.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58The South East of England
0:02:58 > 0:03:01is a thoroughfare for truck drivers from overseas,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04but all must abide by EU laws when it comes to how many hours
0:03:04 > 0:03:08they can drive and when their rest periods should be taken.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11It seems one driver's got a total lack of respect for the law.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14They've asked me to come up here and help them deal with it,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16which is what we're going to do.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Tachographs were introduced in the late '70s,
0:03:18 > 0:03:23to cap drivers' working hours, in a bid to make Britain's roads safer.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26Lorry drivers can operate up to nine hours a day,
0:03:26 > 0:03:31with a maximum of 56 hours a week, or 90 hours a fortnight.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34But fraudsters have developed ways to manipulate
0:03:34 > 0:03:38the tachograph recording device, to fake the charts - an offence that
0:03:38 > 0:03:42can carry a punishment of a £5,000 fine and up to two years in prison.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Habla Ingles? Habla espanol?
0:03:50 > 0:03:51Espanol.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Espanol. Me poquito espanol.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55OK? Muchos problemas.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58- No.- Si. Si.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02The Portuguese driver may be denying faking his tachograph,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06but officers back at base have seen photos from police cameras
0:04:06 > 0:04:08that show the lorry was moving,
0:04:08 > 0:04:12even though his tachograph chart shows it was at rest.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Basically, you're driving your truck - 13:16, you weren't asleep.
0:04:16 > 0:04:17Not resting.
0:04:17 > 0:04:23OK? Dartford Tunnel - again, we have a photograph of this, of you driving.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Yeah?
0:04:27 > 0:04:29INADUDIBLE
0:04:29 > 0:04:33You were driving in Epping, and you weren't recording your driving.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36Fabricado...
0:04:36 > 0:04:40The records are fake. Not the truth. Yeah?
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Alastair suspects the Portuguese driver has used
0:04:44 > 0:04:47one of the more basic methods to fake his tachograph,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51which requires a simple bar magnet.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54To enable the records to be faked, you put a magnet on what is
0:04:54 > 0:04:57the gearbox sending unit.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00It sends the impulses up to the tachograph unit in the cab.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02By using a bar magnet,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05the driver can put the tachograph unit to sleep,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07which will stop his hours from being recorded
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and start creating a fake tachograph chart,
0:05:10 > 0:05:12which could pocket the driver and his company
0:05:12 > 0:05:16more cash by keeping the lorry on the road around the clock.
0:05:16 > 0:05:17Hello?
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Convinced the driver's adopting this method, Alastair's hoping
0:05:21 > 0:05:25the driver's boss will be able to persuade him to come clean.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27I don't want to make life difficult,
0:05:27 > 0:05:30but I would like him to give me the magnet, yeah? OK?
0:05:30 > 0:05:36Why don't you speak to your driver now and explain the situation,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38and you tell him what I want, please?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40I'd like honesty.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48After a quick chat, the driver finally sees sense.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51OK. Muchas gracias.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Here we go - this is the magnet that he's used to make his records fake.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00He's now surrendered it, on his company's instructions.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02It's just a simple block magnet, quite strong,
0:06:02 > 0:06:06and that will clamp on and stop the records being correct,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08make fake records by using a magnet.
0:06:10 > 0:06:11With the magnet safely in custody,
0:06:11 > 0:06:15Alastair's stopped this illegal driver in his tracks.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19On this occasion, he's going to issue a warning and a fine,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22but more prolific fakers have ended up in prison.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Clamping down on drivers faking their tachograph records
0:06:28 > 0:06:31is now a priority for Essex Police,
0:06:31 > 0:06:34after it witnessed one of the worst lorry crashes in recent years.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38It involved an exhausted driver,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42who'd been behind the wheel for one and a half times the legal limit.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45And that was one of the most complex scenes
0:06:45 > 0:06:48that I've ever arrived at - four goods vehicles,
0:06:48 > 0:06:53six cars. We didn't know how many people were injured at the time.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58It's a day Keith Mouthton, from Ilford in East London,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00will never be able to forget.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03On that Friday, my dad was driving the car,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06so I was in the passenger seat.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11We was coming off at the Lakeside turnoff, and there was a queue
0:07:11 > 0:07:15of traffic getting off of the motorway, onto that junction.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17And the only thing I can remember
0:07:17 > 0:07:20was being violently shook to one side.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23And then I see what I thought was a trailer coming towards me,
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and then I blacked out.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28From that moment on, I don't really remember
0:07:28 > 0:07:30too much about it, to be honest.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35The CCTV caught the details of what Anton Maizen,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38a driver from Germany, had done behind the wheel.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Investigators found he'd failed to apply his brakes,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45as his lorry ploughed into the back of stationary traffic
0:07:45 > 0:07:48at a speed of 56 miles per hour.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50He'd left Germany the previous day,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54and had covered 840 miles over the last 23 hours,
0:07:54 > 0:07:57with the previous 15 spent behind the wheel.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58Many of us are drivers,
0:07:58 > 0:08:03and we can only imagine driving 800 miles in one 24-hour period.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06We would know that we were fighting the effects of sleep,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and that we're endangering ourselves and everybody else around us.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14My dad was laying on my side, and cos I couldn't move,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17he was just laying there - his head was here.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20And I tried to talk to him, but nothing was coming back.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25And the next thing I remember was going to the air ambulance,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28and after that, I don't remember a thing.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30One of the moments that I came round,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32the first thing I asked is how my dad was.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35And that's when they told me.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39Keith's father Ronald didn't make it out alive.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42It's the little bits and pieces that I really miss, you know,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and they're never going to come back,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46and I have to realise that.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50I've got very good memories of Dad, and they're the ones I keep.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52I miss my dad a lot.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Anton Maizen had used multiple tachograph charts,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59so that the authorities wouldn't know
0:08:59 > 0:09:01how many hours he'd been driving.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04We found one tachograph chart screwed up in his sock.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07We found another hidden in the seat of his cab,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09and one actually in the tachograph head.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12I can only guess that he wanted to cover his tracks,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16self-preservation, and hide those fake records.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Keith spent 18 days in hospital with a fractured pelvis,
0:09:21 > 0:09:24broken ribs and a punctured lung.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27One year on, his health is still suffering.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32I'm undergoing counselling for post-traumatic stress disorder,
0:09:32 > 0:09:37because I'm finding that actually dealing with the accident itself
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and the aftermath of it was very, very difficult.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43My wife does her best to cheer me up, but sometimes,
0:09:43 > 0:09:45the feelings are overwhelming
0:09:45 > 0:09:48and nothing can be done, and I just have to get through it.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Words can't describe what I feel for my wife.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Anton Maizen was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03For these drivers that are breaking the law
0:10:03 > 0:10:05by going over on their tachos, fiddling their tachos,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I'd like to get hold of them and shake them,
0:10:08 > 0:10:09just to make sure they understand
0:10:09 > 0:10:11where I'm coming from,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14as I've been on the receiving end of it.
0:10:14 > 0:10:19Making fake records leads to tiredness,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21fatigue and this type of crash.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24Later, we see the outrageous
0:10:24 > 0:10:26number of hours behind the wheel
0:10:26 > 0:10:29some tachograph fakers are clocking up.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30The areas marked in red
0:10:30 > 0:10:33are those areas where the driver had actually driven,
0:10:33 > 0:10:36but had used the tachograph interrupter device
0:10:36 > 0:10:39to create a fraudulent record.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42And we show that not only do their interrupter devices
0:10:42 > 0:10:44fake the tachograph records,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47they can also transform the lorry into a death trap.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51We should be the slowest vehicle on this road.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53At this minute in time, we're the fastest vehicle on the road.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Suntan lotion, a good book,
0:11:02 > 0:11:03shades,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05all very important for a great summer holiday,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08but not as important as this -
0:11:08 > 0:11:10your ticket to sun, sea and sand.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14Unless, that is, it turns out to be like this one - a fake.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17As one family of 11 found out,
0:11:17 > 0:11:20that means your holiday never gets off the ground.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24From Barcelona to the Bahamas,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28when it comes to Brits holidaying abroad, we are spoilt for choice.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32On almost every High Street in every town in the country,
0:11:32 > 0:11:35there'll be someone, somewhere, set up to sell you a holiday.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40But not all travel agents are there to send you to paradise.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Some are fakers - they just want to pocket your hard-earned cash.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48When Maureen Keay, from Hull, downsized her house,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52she decided to spend the extra money on a holiday, but she didn't fancy
0:11:52 > 0:11:56just going by herself, she wanted the whole family to come with her -
0:11:56 > 0:11:59all 11 of them.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02There was myself, my daughter,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05her partner, my granddaughter,
0:12:05 > 0:12:08my grandson and their two partners,
0:12:08 > 0:12:10my great-grandchildren,
0:12:10 > 0:12:11and my other grandson.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16How generous, and a lovely treat for the family.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19With a little help from her eldest daughter Debbie,
0:12:19 > 0:12:20Maureen took to the web,
0:12:20 > 0:12:24and it wasn't long before she found something worth writing home about -
0:12:24 > 0:12:27a five-star resort in Antalya, in Turkey.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30And before you ask, no, it's not a fake.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35It made me feel really, really good I was really looking forward to it.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38To think we was all going to go together.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Cos we've never been together before and I thought it'd be really exciting,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46we'd be able to let our hair down and everything like that.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Really looking forward to it.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Now, we've looked at the dangers of booking through fake online travel agents before,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57but this wasn't going to be a problem for Maureen
0:12:57 > 0:12:59as she knew who she wanted to book through -
0:12:59 > 0:13:02a High Street travel agent called Ellen Harrison,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04who was based in Hull.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Maureen had booked through her before and was impressed.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11Yeah, why not? She's got you
0:13:11 > 0:13:14loads of deals previously, and really good deals, as well,
0:13:14 > 0:13:17for your holidays, and you've always enjoyed them.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19Always been nice hotels.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Good flights as well, which was quite important, the flight times, with having the children.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26She said, "Oh, yeah, I'll book it."
0:13:26 > 0:13:28And she came back with a price straightaway.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Within two hours, she came back with a price for us all.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35And I said, "Grab it with both hands."
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Maureen paid £6,800 all-in,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41and to top it all,
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Ellen Harrison agreed to book the flights, the hotel,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47and the transfers, so they could enjoy a fuss-free family holiday.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51We was just over the moon. Really, really over the moon.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55I was so excited to think I was going to surprise the kids with this
0:13:55 > 0:13:58fantastic holiday we were all going to have.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03The family printed the vouchers for their hotel, transfers,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05and their all-important E-tickets.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06They were now set to jet.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09But when they arrived at the airport check-in desk the following morning,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13events took an unexpected turn. They were told that
0:14:13 > 0:14:15the flight booking number on the E-tickets didn't exist.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19It looked like they'd just fallen for a fake.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21They took one look at the paperwork and said,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23"That's not one of our flights."
0:14:23 > 0:14:25And with that, it was the most sinking,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28heart-wrenching feeling you can imagine.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31I went into a shock mode, I just couldn't speak.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34I just stood there thinking, "It's not happening.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37"It's not happening to me. It's not happening to my family."
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Think of the worst moment in your life and that is what it was like.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Once the dust had settled,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Debbie took the paperwork relating to the holiday booking,
0:14:46 > 0:14:48which she now suspected was fake,
0:14:48 > 0:14:52to Detective Constable Steve Bromby at Humberside Police.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55On the surface, it all appeared to be legitimate.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57It looks like a genuine booking.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59It's got a booking reference number,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03it's got the destination of where they're travelling to and from.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07So, for example, this is from Manchester Airport.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10It gives the departure and return dates.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13It gives the lead name and all the people who are travelling.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Looking at that, looks a genuine documentation.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18But as Steve Bromby dug a little deeper
0:15:18 > 0:15:21and contacted Flightline, the company Ellen Harrison
0:15:21 > 0:15:23was claiming she'd booked the flights through,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26it became clear the tickets weren't what they seemed.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31When they had a look at that from their information they were
0:15:31 > 0:15:35saying that the booking reference number should be unique and it isn't.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40The reference number relates, again, to another holiday.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43And on their system they never use capitals,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46but on this form, capitals are used.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50The font, in relation to the outward and inward, is incorrect,
0:15:50 > 0:15:54and there's information here relating to pricing
0:15:54 > 0:15:56which is completely missing off this
0:15:56 > 0:16:00but, on the genuine booking, would be in there.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05The tour operator, when they came back to me,
0:16:05 > 0:16:09clearly said that this documentation was fake.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13To them, it's clear that fraud has taken place.
0:16:13 > 0:16:16So, the flight details Ellen Harrison had given the family
0:16:16 > 0:16:19were as fake as a spray tan.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22And it was about to get a whole lot worse, as Steve discovered
0:16:22 > 0:16:26the hotel voucher and transfer vouchers were also fakes.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Manchester Airport - all sat on their cases
0:16:28 > 0:16:30with their hands on their faces,
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Thinking, I can't let these bairns not go on holiday.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39They've booked time off work and they'd saved their money up.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and I just said to Debbie, "I'm going to book another holiday."
0:16:42 > 0:16:45So Maureen booked another trip to Turkey
0:16:45 > 0:16:47and they flew out that day,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50but the new holiday cost Maureen a further £8,000.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Coupled with the cost of the fake holiday,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57she was just shy of £15,000 out of pocket.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Personally, I didn't enjoy the holiday.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01My children did, but I did not.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Cos it played on my mind the 12 days we was away.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08I just thought, "How could she do that to me?"
0:17:08 > 0:17:10I've done no wrong to her.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I just couldn't comprehend how somebody could do that
0:17:14 > 0:17:16to somebody who they know.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19But the actual detail on it...
0:17:19 > 0:17:22By looking at it, you would never realise how fake it was.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27As for Ellen Harrison, DC Steve Bromby had all the evidence
0:17:27 > 0:17:30he needed to prove she'd faked the tickets.
0:17:30 > 0:17:32She was given 120 hours' community service
0:17:32 > 0:17:35and ordered to pay Maureen compensation.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39It's not the fact that it's the money,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42it's the fact that she ruined the holiday.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45A holiday that we all was really looking forward to.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48And that is the hurting part about it.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Earlier, we saw Essex Police catch a driver
0:17:56 > 0:18:00who'd been faking his tachograph records.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02This is the magnet that he's used
0:18:02 > 0:18:04to make his records fake.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08But it's not just happening in Essex.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12The Police Service of Northern Ireland's Superintendent David Moore
0:18:12 > 0:18:17is also waging war against the fakers, a battle he intends to win.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22In Northern Ireland, we have detected 50 vehicles being driven
0:18:22 > 0:18:25unlawfully in this manner in the last five years.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29We have active investigations running against seven haulage companies.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32And this is much more than about road safety,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35it's also about the fitness of these companies to operate,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38the fitness of the directors to run companies,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42it's about a level playing field in the commercial sector.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44But I want to bring it back to road safety.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46These people don't belong on our roads.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Steven Spratt, Operations Manager at the Driver Enforcement Agency,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Northern Ireland's equivalent of VOSA, can spot a faker a mile off.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00And after being the driving force behind recent prosecutions
0:19:00 > 0:19:02against drivers faking their records,
0:19:02 > 0:19:05he now knows all the tricks that they can use.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12Here's an example of an array of interrupter devices.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15In some instances, we have hard wiring -
0:19:15 > 0:19:19a simple relay device that operated through a toggle switch,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22it may have been a fog light switch, reversing light switch, whatever.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26And the effect of that was simply to switch off the signal
0:19:26 > 0:19:28going to the tachograph itself.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33These simple switches blend into the dashboard, and can create
0:19:33 > 0:19:37fake charts by cutting the signal to the lorry's tachograph recorder.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40But some fake-makers are even more sophisticated.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45This one uses RF technology, where it's a radio signal.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Typically, that would send a signal to your garage door.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50It sends a signal to this receiver device.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52The device itself will be hidden
0:19:52 > 0:19:55somewhere inside the vehicle's construction
0:19:55 > 0:19:59and will operate as a simple remote switch itself,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01but very, very effective.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04And very, very clever.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Stick it in your pocket and it looks just like the key to the yard,
0:20:07 > 0:20:12so if the driver's stopped, they're less likely to get rumbled.
0:20:12 > 0:20:13But the DVA's been fighting back,
0:20:13 > 0:20:17and has already prosecuted two firms for sing these devices -
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Dewart Transport Limited and Arnold Transport,
0:20:21 > 0:20:23where both the drivers and the firms' owners
0:20:23 > 0:20:26received suspended prison sentences.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29In these cases, once they'd discovered
0:20:29 > 0:20:31the tachograph faking equipment in the lorries,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33Steven and his team had to prove that
0:20:33 > 0:20:37they'd actually been used by drivers out on the road.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39What we were able to do, in this particular case,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43was to acquire GPS tracker records, to determine a minute-by-minute
0:20:43 > 0:20:46movement of the actual vehicle itself.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50In this case, a separate GPS tracker had been installed
0:20:50 > 0:20:52in the lorry by the haulage company.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55It's the same technology found in your average sat nav,
0:20:55 > 0:20:57and gave the team a true record
0:20:57 > 0:21:01of where and when the lorry had been driven.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04When the team compared it to the suspected fake tachograph charts,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07they got a bit of a shock.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11In this particular case, there was 50% more driving done
0:21:11 > 0:21:15than what was actually shown on the tachograph record.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17The areas marked on the chart in red
0:21:17 > 0:21:20are those areas where the driver had actually driven,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24but had used the tachograph interrupter device
0:21:24 > 0:21:26to create a fraudulent record.
0:21:26 > 0:21:32And the inspectors would have seen this chart, as opposed to this chart.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Not only is this highly illegal, but also very unsafe,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39as the drivers were using the fake charts to cover up the fact
0:21:39 > 0:21:43they were working over twice the legal limit for driver hours.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45During another similar investigation,
0:21:45 > 0:21:50the driver had been on duty for some 111 hours, 44 minutes,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52over a five-day period,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56where he had only taken a maximum rest period of five hours.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58If my maths is correct,
0:21:58 > 0:22:03that means he was driving an average of just over 22 hours a day.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06Studies have shown that almost 20% of accidents
0:22:06 > 0:22:09on Britain's roads are related to tiredness,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and 40% of those involve commercial vehicles.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17No question about the extent of fatigue and sleep deprivation.
0:22:17 > 0:22:22And it's more shocking when you find out it's a fairly familiar story.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24We met a lorry driver who was convicted of faking
0:22:24 > 0:22:26his tachograph chart.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28For his protection,
0:22:28 > 0:22:29we've obscured his identity.
0:22:29 > 0:22:30At his haulage firm,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32it was company policy to use
0:22:32 > 0:22:35an electronic tachograph interrupter device.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38The boss come over and just says to you on the quiet,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42"If you run out of time, this is what you do
0:22:42 > 0:22:45"so that you can get your load finished."
0:22:45 > 0:22:47He says, "It's no big deal, everybody's doing it."
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Our anonymous driver claims he started using it
0:22:51 > 0:22:53due to pressure from his boss
0:22:53 > 0:22:54to get the deliveries done.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56But slowly and surely, he was sucked into
0:22:56 > 0:22:59the fraudulent world of the faker.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02You're stressing and you're worrying about it,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04and if you dwell on it, you get to the stage
0:23:04 > 0:23:07where you're near physically sick.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12End of the day, you have to learn to live with what you're doing.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13It gets to be a way of life.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15You just accept it and get on with it.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18Faking it became the norm,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and drivers learned how to exist on barely any sleep.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24You could pick lottery numbers, so you could,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26as to just how many hours...
0:23:26 > 0:23:30You're legally allowed to do nine or ten hours driving a day, depending.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33There's drivers could do 20-plus.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36I've heard of drivers going out on a Sunday
0:23:36 > 0:23:41and not getting to bed till midweek - Tuesday or Wednesday.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45You just grab 20/30 minutes, a wee power nap sort of thing.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50You're driving, windows down, cups of coffee - usual story.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55But it's not a story, it's the reality.
0:23:55 > 0:23:56And it's not only the drivers
0:23:56 > 0:23:59putting the lives of innocent motorists at risk,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02it's the lorries themselves.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Once fitted, the tachograph faking device
0:24:06 > 0:24:08can turn the lorry into a lethal machine,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10as built-in safety systems are disabled,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13along with the lorry's speed limiter.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18PC Mike Rennie's taking out a lorry from a previous investigation
0:24:18 > 0:24:21that's rigged with a tachograph interrupting device,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24to see just how dangerous it can be.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26145, we're about to head off. Could you reset your trip?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28This is a risky operation.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32Three police vehicles are travelling in convoy with the lorry,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34to make sure they're safe at all times.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It's just giving us a safer environment to work in.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45It's to act as a safety barrier for any other road users.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Mike activates the tachograph faker which is hidden in the lorry,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and immediately, the speedometer is disabled.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53The test is now on.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56You can actually physically feel yourself
0:24:56 > 0:24:57being thrown into the back of the seat.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Almost instantly,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03there's an issue with one of the lorry's most vital safety systems.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06If you look at the dashboard in front of me,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09the top right-hand corner, there's a brake warning light came on.
0:25:09 > 0:25:14That is showing that there is a possible problem with the ABS.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18ABS is the lorry's anti-lock braking system.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22Failure can cause the wheels to lock when the brakes are applied,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25causing the lorry to skid. Not good.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27With the device fitted,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30all the lorry's safety systems are in meltdown.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32But that's not the only danger here.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36More worryingly, the lorry's speed limiter has also been disabled,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39meaning it can now travel at speeds well above
0:25:39 > 0:25:42the legal restriction of 56 miles per hour.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47The traffic car behind us has now told us
0:25:47 > 0:25:49we're travelling at 80 miles per hour.
0:25:50 > 0:25:5185.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56You don't get the concept of the speed we're travelling at.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59The ramifications if anything happened in front of us
0:25:59 > 0:26:02would be severe, trying to stop such a heavy vehicle at this speed,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06hence the reason we have the closure in place.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09It's lucky, as the lorry's stopping distance
0:26:09 > 0:26:11is now double what it should be.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15We're overtaking everything on this road, which should not be the case.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17We should be the slowest vehicle on this road.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21At this minute in time, we're the fastest vehicle on the road.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Look how quick we are catching up with that car.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26That should not be happening.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28The dangers of travelling at this speed
0:26:28 > 0:26:30don't even bear thinking about,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34and as the surrounding police cars pave a safe route for the lorry,
0:26:34 > 0:26:35Mike is in for quite a shock.
0:26:35 > 0:26:3895 miles an hour - I'm going to ease back.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46We've just peaked at 100 miles an hour...
0:26:49 > 0:26:53..and truth be told, that came as quite a surprise,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55because there was no concept of
0:26:55 > 0:26:58having travelled at that sort of a speed.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02This vehicle is being test driven in a controlled environment,
0:27:02 > 0:27:04by an advanced police driver.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07But clearly, the speed has taken its toll.
0:27:07 > 0:27:08The lorry's hit a problem.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- We've an engine malfunction there, Mark.- Yeah.- It's all right?
0:27:12 > 0:27:15What's the temperatures like?
0:27:16 > 0:27:18The battery light's came on.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Temperature's down.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26Excess speed, tired drivers, and major mechanical faults,
0:27:26 > 0:27:30it's no wonder that Superintendant Moore is working hard
0:27:30 > 0:27:32to drive these fakers off the road.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34I don't want to get over-dramatic here,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38but imagine a comparison made with the commercial aircraft industry.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43A 40-ton vehicle being controlled by someone who is exhausted,
0:27:43 > 0:27:47where all the safety systems, designed though experience
0:27:47 > 0:27:50and learning over many years, have simply been disabled.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53And in a way, it's even more dangerous,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56because these things aren't operating high in the sky,
0:27:56 > 0:27:59they're operating feet away from primary schools,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02inches away from other road users in much smaller vehicles.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06The dangers are astronomical, and in some ways,
0:28:06 > 0:28:08these are ticking time bombs on our roads.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17That's all from Fake Britain. Goodbye.