TC: bridge strikes could put O-licences at risk

By Categories: NewsPublished On: Tuesday 15 October 2019

Operators of vehicles that hit bridges will be summoned to preliminary hearings, the Western area traffic commissioner Kevin Rooney warned at the FTA conference, following building concern over recent months around the issue.

The TC said: “Every rail bridge strike generates an email to the traffic commissioners from Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy. And 90 per cent of bridge strikes are of railway bridges.”

The preliminary hearing could lead to full-blown public inquiries and conduct hearings, with the operator’s O-licence and driver’s vocational licence in jeopardy.

The driver could find his vocational licence suspended for six months, and the operator would be questioned about the steps that had been taken to prevent bridge strikes. Striking a bridge was normally a ‘due care and attention’ offence.

TC Rooney said he was surprised how few operators gave any kind of routing instruction to their drivers to help them avoid low bridges.

“Most seem to think that asking the drivers to use a truck-specific sat nav is good enough,” he said. “But I know of one operator which now geofences trucks to approved safe routes, and gets alerted if a truck goes off-route.”

In the event of a railway bridge strike, drivers are being told to take the following steps: first call Network Rail on the number shown on the bridge; then call the police on 999; then inform their employer.

TC Rooney also warned that a summons to a public inquiry (PI) for any reason should not be taken lightly by transport managers.

“If you get a PI call-up letter, then get some help,” he advised.

“Three of every eight operators called to public inquiry will lose their O-licences. And another three in every eight will have that licence suspended or curtailed.

“Don’t attend and ask me for advice,” he warned. “Prepare beforehand!”

Lack of engagement was the main reason many so-called external transport managers were disqualified.

“External transport managers need to be on the premises every week, you can’t manage a transport operation by text message,” he warned.

“As a named transport manager, you need to exercise continuous and effective management of the transport business. You are expected to be in control.

“You need assessment and support from your employer, and you need to know what you are worth and be paid accordingly. You should not be paid the same as a driver. £30,000 – £40,000 is the minimum salary for a transport manager.

“You should tell your employer when things are going wrong. It’s not my job to tell your boss when things are going wrong.

“I expect to see evidence of ‘continuous professional development’ in your activities. Three per cent of your time should be devoted to ‘learning’.

“You need refresher training if you have been out of the industry for over five years, if your qualification is over 10 years old, or if you are called to a Public Inquiry where your professionalism is called into question.

“I still hear too many transport managers expressing surprise that a split break must now be taken as 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes.”

TC Rooney tempered his remarks with praise for the general attitude to conformance among professional hauliers.

“Our priorities are to modernise the licensing system and deal with the non-compliant.

“Sadly, there is a whole part of the transport industry… who don’t have a clue what they are doing,” he said.