A lorry driver who built an online following documenting life on the road has been banned from driving HGVs for four months after admitting 19 tachograph offences.
Lena Foden, 42, pleaded guilty to knowingly making false tachograph records between August and October 2024.
She was stopped on the M65 near Preston in October 2024, where she was found to have been using her husband’s driver card and driving beyond her permitted daily hours.
At a subsequent public inquiry, Foden said she had been under pressure from her husband to extend her driving time because the haulage business was struggling financially.
The inquiry heard that she had been told using his driver card would likely result in little more than a £200 fine if discovered.
Operator licence revoked
The case had wider consequences for the family haulage business.
Foden was disqualified from driving HGVs for four months, while the operator’s licence held by Mick Foden Commercials Ltd was revoked.
The company and its director, Philip Michael Foden, were also disqualified indefinitely from holding or obtaining an operator’s licence.
The company’s former transport manager, Jaspreet Kang, was disqualified for two years after admitting she had failed to exercise effective and continuous control over the transport operation.
The Traffic Commissioner concluded that the company and its director had encouraged the illegal use of tachograph records while believing the consequences would be relatively minor.
Online following
Foden had previously built a sizeable following on YouTube through videos about the haulage industry and had also appeared on the BBC.
Tachograph and drivers’ hours rules are designed to reduce fatigue, improve road safety and ensure fair competition across the haulage industry.
