Transport Act 1968

98 Written records. E+W+S

(1) The Minister may make regulations—

(a) for requiring drivers to keep, and employers of employee-drivers to cause to be kept, in such books as may be specified in the regulations records with respect to such matters relevant to the enforcement of this Part of this Act as may be so specified; and

(b) for requiring owner-drivers and the employers of employee-drivers to maintain such registers as may be so specified with respect to any such books as aforesaid which are in their possession or in that of any employee-drivers in their employment.

(2) Regulations under this section may contain such supplementary and incidental provisions [F1 including provisions supplementary and incidental to the requirements of [F2 the applicable Community rules] as to [F3 books, records or documents]] as the Minister thinks necessary or expedient, including in particular provisions—

(a) specifying the person or persons from whom books and registers required for the purposes of the regulations [F1 or of [F2 the applicable Community rules]] are to be obtained and, if provision is made for them to be obtained from the Minister, charging a fee for their issue by him (which shall be payable into the Consolidated Fund);

(b) as to the form and manner of making of entries in such books and registers;

(c) as to the issue by and return to the employers of employee-drivers of books required to be kept by the latter for the purposes of the regulations;

(d) requiring any book in current use for the purposes of the regulations to be carried on, or by the driver of, any vehicle, as to the preservation of any books and registers used for those purposes, and otherwise as to the manner in which those books and registers are to be dealt with;

(e) for exemptions from all or any of the requirements of the regulations in respect of drivers of small goods vehicles as defined in section 103(6) of this Act and for other exemptions from all or any of those requirements.

[F4 (2A) The requirements of regulations made under this section shall not apply as respects the driving of a vehicle to which section 97 of this Act applies and in relation to which subsection (1)(b) of that section has come into force.]

(3) Subject to the provisions of any regulations made by the Minister, the traffic [F5 commissioner] for any area may dispense with the observance by any employee-driver or his employer, or by any owner-driver, of any requirement imposed under this section, either generally or in such circumstances or to such extent as the [F6 commissioner thinks] fit, but the traffic [F5 commissioner] shall not grant such a dispensation unless satisfied that it is not reasonably practicable for the requirement dispensed with to be observed.

(4) Any person who contravenes any regulations made under this section [F7 or any requirement as to [F3 books, records or documents] of [F2 the applicable Community rules]] shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding [F8 level 4 on the standard scale], but the employer of an employee-driver shall not be liable to be convicted under this subsection by reason of contravening any such regulation whereby he is required to cause any records to be kept if he proved to the court that he has given proper instructions to his employees with respect to the keeping of the records and has from time to time taken reasonable steps to secure that those instructions are being carried out.

[F9 (4A) A person shall not be liable to be convicted under subsection (4) of this section by reason of contravening any regulation made under this section if he proves to the court that, if the vehicle in question had been such a vehicle as is mentioned in subsection (2A) of this section, there would have been no contravention of the provisions of this Part of this Act so far as they relate to the use of such vehicles.]

(5) Any entry made by an employee-driver for the purposes of regulations under this section [F7 or of [F2 the applicable Community rules]] shall, in any proceedings under this Part of this Act, be admissible in evidence against his employer.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words inserted by European Communities Act 1972 (c. 68), Sch. 4 para. 9(2)(c)

F2 Words substituted by Road Traffic (Drivers' Ages and Hours of Work) Act 1976 (c. 3), s. 2(1)(c)

F3 Words substituted by Road Traffic (Drivers' Ages and Hours of Work) Act 1976 (c. 3), s. 2(1)(g)

F4 S. 98(2A) inserted by S.I. 1979/1746, reg. 3(1)

F5 Word substituted by Transport Act 1985 (c. 67, SIF 126), s. 3, Sch. 2 Pt. II para. 1(3)

F6 Words substituted by Transport Act 1985 (c. 67, SIF 126), s. 3, Sch. 2 Pt. II para. 1(3)

F7 Word inserted by European Communities Act 1972 (c. 68), Sch. 4 para. 9(2)(a)

F8 Words substituted by virtue of (E.W.) Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), ss. 38, 46 and (S.) Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975 (c. 21, SIF 39:1), ss. 289F, 289G (as inserted by Criminal Justice Act 1982 (c. 48, SIF 39:1), s. 54)

F9 S. 98(4A) inserted by S.I. 1979/1746, reg. 3(3)(b)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 98 applied (with modifications) (S.) (4.1.1995) by 1994 c. 39, s. 40(7) (with s. 7(2)); S.I. 1994/2850, art. 3(a), Sch. 2