DVSA seeks fleets to test-drive earned recognition

By Categories: NewsPublished On: Thursday 4 May 2017

The Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has invited truck, bus and coach operators in Great Britain to take part in its ‘earned recognition’ pilot scheme, but warned that they will still face roadside checks while the system is being trialled.

The earned recognition concept aims to augment the existing operator compliance risk score (OCRS) system – which places operators in ‘traffic light’ bands estimating their risk of non-compliance based on previous run-ins with the authorities – by allowing DVSA to further free up resources currently expended on those operators who abide by the rules.

Those who have earned recognition will find themselves on the receiving end of significantly fewer roadside checks than before, in exchange for providing DVSA with remote access to their maintenance and tachograph records – thereby proving their ongoing compliance.

How the pilot will work

All sizes of operation are being sought for the pilot, from the biggest fleets to owner-drivers.

To be considered as participants, operators must have held an O-licence for at least two years, and have had no regulatory action, aside from warnings, taken against them by a traffic commissioner for at least two years.

Participants must also have electronic management systems in place for maintenance and drivers’ hours which track key performance indicators and report exceptions automatically. The providers of these IT systems need to have registered them with DVSA. They can find out how to do this by emailing remote.compliance@vosa.gsi.gov.uk

Companies with multiple O-licences will only be considered for inclusion on a ‘whole business’ basis, not on individual licences.

Operators interested in taking part need to email distribution@vosa.gsi.gov.uk  They will receive copies of the audit standards, the guidance document for the pilot, the terms and conditions, and a self-assessment form.

Once the self-assessment form has been returned and checked, successful operators will be sent an application for the scheme. When returned, the application will be checked against their enforcement history held by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.

Successful applicants will then be sent a list of suitable audit providers, and will have to arrange, and pay for, an audit. The chosen auditor will look at the processes involved in the operator’s transport management systems and how they are run.

When the audit is complete, the results are submitted by the auditor to the DVSA, which then shares them with the operator.

Successful applicants will have to keep their participation in the pilot confidential; and since roadside enforcement officers will not be aware of which operators are taking part, participants’ vehicles will be subject to the usual stops and checks.

However, if the full scheme goes live as expected, successful pilot participants will automatically be awarded earned recognition.

DVSA said: “This will mean the agency will be much less likely to stop you at the roadside, saving you time and money.”

Third-party partners on board

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) said it was liaising with DVSA about using its Truck Excellence audit and standards modules to help with the audit element of the process, these standards having been recognised by the agency as being closely aligned to those required by the scheme.

“With its history of compliance excellence, FTA is ideally placed to support the introduction of earned recognition across the sector,” said FTA deputy chief executive James Hookham.

“Using already-recognised markers of achievement such as Truck Excellence, combined with our leading compliance platform Vision, we will help ensure that the new process continues to drive up standards across the industry.  We are looking forward to being at the heart of these changes.”

FTA has partnered with fleet management specialist r2c Online to provide an integrated compliance solution for earned recognition. Joint clients can access a unique dashboard through which they can provide all the vehicle and driver information required by the scheme.

Hookham added that FTA was talking to manufacturers and systems providers about creating an industry data hub to bring together the required data from disparate sources, thereby avoiding multiple standards and excessive cost.

“We’ve been approached by numerous organisations to provide an independent, industry-wide solution to this data challenge, and we believe we have the expertise, insight and systems to make this happen,” he said.

Self-testing could be next

Meanwhile, DVSA’s move towards operator self-declarations of compliance via data sharing also looks set to be applied to the vehicle testing regime.

In its recently-released five-year strategy document, the agency promised to: “look into the case for allowing exemplary commercial vehicle operators to test their own vehicles, if they share their testing data with us.”

DVSA said it would assess “the benefits and risks” of permitting self-testing for those operators with “excellent safety standards” – but it added that “any change will require new legislation and will only be considered if road safety can be protected”.

FTA said the proposals made sense, but that safety standards “must be a priority”.

“Vehicle testing has long been an issue, with problems for some operators over the distance they must travel to a registered test centre and the availability of slots,” said the association.

“FTA members agree that self-testing should be permitted for those operators with excellent safety standards. However, they want reassurance that safety and compliance processes will be clearly outlined from the start and any impropriety or wrongdoing is heavily penalised.”

James Firth, head of licencing policy and compliance information at FTA, added: “This will bring ultimate flexibility for operators or authorised testing facilities to conduct tests at a time which suits them or their customers. But safety must always be the key consideration – any devolvement of responsibility for testing must not allow standards to slip.”

Images: DVSA Crown copyright