Have your say on drivers' hours rules
Posted by AndrewT on 3rd Jan 2020
The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) work to keep our roads safe for all users with a particular focus on HGV, bus and coach drivers. Tachograph and drivers' hours infringements are usuall
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Licence revoked for failure to record drivers’ hours
Posted by AndrewT on 2nd Jan 2020
An operator with 10 heavy goods vehicles had its licence revoked due to “an almost wholesale abrogation” of its responsibilities to ensure drivers hours and tachograph rules were observed.
The operat
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1 in 5 drivers exceed drivers' hours limits
Posted by AndrewT on 6th Dec 2019
A recent article in Commercial Fleet reported that according to research carried out by a Fleet Management Software supplier that 22% of commercial drivers in the UK are failing to take appropriate re
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Is it time to regulate 3.5t vans with tachographs?
Posted by AndrewT on 6th Dec 2019
With over 4.3 million licensed 3.5t vans compared to around 600,000 licensed HGV’s on our roads is it time for van drivers to be regulated in the same way as Large Goods Vehicles and Passenger Carryin
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Traffic Commissioners Annual report 2018 to 2019
Posted by AndrewT on 13th Nov 2019
The annual report from the Traffic Commissioners office provides information on all the major aspects of their regulatory and judicial role. The 2018 to 2019 report has just been published. The TCs re
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The benefits of joining up data in road transport operations
Posted by AndrewT on 5th Nov 2019
For too long data in many road transport operations has been isolated and burdened by inefficient data-gathering methods. Valuable information is kept out of the hands of those who could use it best a
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DVSA issue new guidance on HGV walkaround checks
Posted by AndrewT on 25th Oct 2019
Driver vehicle safety checks are essential for road safety. It has been reported that around 80% of roadside prohibitions could have been avoided if an effective walkaround vehicle safety check had ta
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Be ready for Brexit
Posted by AndrewT on 27th Sep 2019
With 31st October approaching fast the potential implications for trade with the EU and transport operators moving goods between the UK and EU is becoming clearer. To help road transport operators the
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363,280 driving licences rescinded since 2014 due to medical conditions
Posted by AndrewT on 20th Sep 2019
Figures available through the DVLA show that in the last 6 years over a third-of-a-million UK drivers had their licences taken away on medical grounds. Almost 56,000 of these were bus and HGV drivers.
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The Driver CPC deadline is fast approaching – are you prepared?
Posted by AndrewT on 1st Aug 2019
In September 2009, the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) came into effect in the UK. CPC covers professional bus, coach and HGV drivers and was introduced with the objective o
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HGV Horror show
Posted by AndrewT on 10th Jul 2019
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is responsible for carrying annual tests on around one million heavy vehicles each year. The DVSA have 500 testers that work at a range of Authorised Tes
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What are the top 5 prosecuted offences for HGV operators?
Posted by AndrewT on 29th May 2019
Statistics published by the DVSA (Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency) for FY 2017-18 shows that drivers’ hours and tachograph records offences are still the most common offences for prosecution of
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Top prohibition defects ... and how to avoid them
Posted by AndrewT on 22nd May 2019
The Office of the Traffic Commissioner recently updated the data they report from DVSA examiners on the checks conducted on vehicles and operators. The information the DVSA gather is used as evidence
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Banned drivers on the rise
Posted by AndrewT on 17th May 2019
The number of drivers that have had their driving licence revoked under the Road Traffic Act has increased by 33.5% according to new figures released by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
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Driving abroad? Are you prepared for Brexit?
Posted by AndrewT on 28th Feb 2019
Driving abroad post-Brexit will change and commercial drivers operating in the EU will need to ensure they have the right documents and plans in place regardless of the deal / no-deal outcome.
This i
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Are bus drivers working unsafe hours and putting the public at risk?
Posted by AndrewT on 21st Feb 2019
Matt Western, Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington writing in The House - Parliaments Magazine, presents his case to bring drivers’ hours for local routes in line with a long-distance bus and HGV driv
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A HGV driver's guide to potential post-Brexit disruption
Posted by AndrewT on 1st Feb 2019
Recently published by the FT - A trucker's guide to post-Brexit disruption. As fears grow of a returm to customs checks from a no-deal Brexit, this FT article follows a British driver on his tight
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Earned Recognition - What, why and how from the DVSA
Posted by AndrewT on 1st Feb 2019
Descartes had the pleasure of having Roger Dent from the DVSA present at our Partner Event in January. Roger's presentation on the DVSA's Earned Recognition scheme covered:
Why Earned Recognition
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Updated vehicle safety check leaflets from DVSA
Posted by AndrewT on 29th Jan 2019
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has updated its driver vehicle safety check leaflets. The updated leaflets provide guidance for carrying out daily safety checks on HGVs and PSVs.
The l
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Guidance for Traffic Commissioners on the role and responsibilities of the Transport Manager
Posted by AndrewT on 21st Jan 2019
The Senior Traffic Commissioner issued updated guidance at the end of 2018 on the role of the transport manager and what it means to be competent and have good repute.
The guide explains how the Seni
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DVSA's Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness updated
Posted by AndrewT on 11th Dec 2018
The DVSA's guide to maintaining a roadworthy fleet has been updated and published on Gov.UK.
The guide provides a useful reference on how to keep heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and public service vehic
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Drivers’ hours law and tachographs post Brexit
Posted by AndrewT on 19th Oct 2018
With the UK leaving the EU at the end of March 2019 now only 5 months away, many operators are asking what this means for drivers’ hours law and tachograph legislation as it applies throughout the EU.
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Traffic Commissioners Annual Report 2017-18
Posted by AndrewT on 19th Sep 2018
The annual report for 2017 to March 31st 2018 provides information on major aspects of the Traffic Commissioners’ judicial, regulatory and administrative roles. As independent regulators for the heavy
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Banned for 8 years for pretending to have a Transport Manager
Posted by AndrewT on 19th Sep 2018
The Office of the Traffic Commissioner revealed that a coach operator who failed to tell them that they didn’t have a Transport manager was banned from running vehicles.
The absence of a Transport Ma
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Paying the price for ineffective maintenance
Posted by AndrewT on 21st Aug 2018
A skip operator’s application to increase the fleet from two to six vehicles was refused and the licence revoked for poor maintenance. When the DVSA visited the operator, the examiner found no recorde
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Earned Recognition “the gold standard”
Posted by AndrewT on 15th Aug 2018
Earned Recognition was launched by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) as business as usual at the CV Show in April. Since then over 50 organisations have achieved the Earned Recognition st
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DVSA’s Annual Review and 5-year strategy
Posted by AndrewT on 15th Aug 2018
The latest Annual Review from the DVSA sets out some of the work the agency will be doing in 2018-19 and reports on highlights from 2017-18.
278,000 roadside vehicle checks carried out
£3,900,000
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Managing basic vehicle safety checks
Posted by AndrewT on 13th Jul 2018
A recent study reported in CommercialFleet revealed that almost 20% of fleets surveyed did not carry out walkaround vehicle safety checks. 63% said they did conduct a walkaround check and the results
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DVLA guidance for professional drivers
Posted by AndrewT on 13th Jul 2018
The DVLA leaflets for Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) and Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCV) drivers provide useful guidance for new drivers and are a good reminder for more experienced drivers. They will a
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Action against vocational licences for mobile phone offences
Posted by AndrewT on 12th Jul 2018
The Office of the Traffic Commissioner has issued a reminder that professional drivers caught using a hand held mobile phone whilst driving could face action against their vocational licence on top of
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