11-02-12 Free Travel Reports on major U.K. roads
For free travel and traffic reports on all major U.K. roads and cities (updated every 5 minutes!) check out Frixo.com
01-12-11 Tachograph Calibration Fees will be de-regulated from 1st January 2012
The fee for calibration and periodic inspection of tachographs will be deregulated from 1st January 2012, following a consultation with the industry.
It is expected that deregulation of the fee will:
- Allow the Approved Tachograph Centres and vehicle operators to negotiate a fair fee for the calibration and inspection of tachographs
- Result in geographical variations in cost being accounted for
- Better support vehicle operators looking to have tachographs calibrated during unsociable hours,
- “Future-proof” calibration/inspection against technological changes which will affect how much work will be involved in the inspection and calibration of tachographs
- Remove the need for future Government involvement in fee setting
- Incentivise companies considering becoming an Approved Tachograph Centre
From January the fee charged by Approved Tachograph Centres will be a commercial matter to be agreed with the customer presenting the vehicle.
The existing fees are still in place up to and including the 31st December 2011.
VOSA’s Chief Executive Alastair Peoples said:
“Deregulation will benefit the industry, giving tachograph centres the opportunity to recoup their costs while providing a more flexible service to the customers.”
A summary of the consultation responses can be found on Business Link by clicking on the attached link (http://www.vosa.gov.uk/tachograph-fee-deregulation)
Driver CPC a 'major concern' for operators
Published: 11 November 2011 12:31 PM
Meeting EU driver training requirements is a ‘major concern’, second only to rising fuel costs, for nearly half of Freight Transport Association members, the association has reported.
By September 2014 all lorry drivers in Europe must have completed 35 hours of training in compliance with Driver Certificate of Professional Competence.
The DCPC was introduced over two years ago, but industry concerns – including an annual driver employment churn in some sectors of up to 20 per cent – have made industry reluctant to invest in this compulsory training.
Isobel Harding, FTA’s national training manager, said: “While awareness of these training obligations is high, there is a manifest reluctance from industry to invest in training drivers when there is a good chance that by the time the deadline comes around those same drivers might be working elsewhere.
“But this approach could leave many companies twisting in the wind as the deadline approaches and demand for good value and meaningful training outstrips supply.”
Latest figures from the Driving Standards Agency show that the number of qualified HGV drivers could be well short of the 35 hours mark approaching the 2014 deadline.
Harding said: “The current gap of five million training hours is getting worse and we predict there could be as much as a 30 per cent shortfall in the number of legally qualified drivers of heavy goods vehicles before 2014.
“Should this happen, the impact on the UK economy could be devastating, with a downturn in productivity coupled with loss of sales for many millions of businesses that depend on road haulage.”
New EU rules for lorry, bus and coach operators
A consultation on the implementation of new EU rules covering the licensing of lorry, bus and coach operators was announced today by Roads Minister Mike Penning.
The European rules under which hire and reward operators are licensed are being changed by a new EC Regulation coming into force in December 2011. This includes a requirement for all member states to establish a national register of operators as already exists in the UK. It will also require other member states to act on information from UK enforcement agencies when operators commit infringements.
Mike Penning said:- “The operator licensing system exists to make sure that the buses, lorries and coaches using our roads are operated safely and legally.
“These new EU measures will help to level the playing field for UK operators by making sure that there are effective mechanisms in all member states to allow enforcement agencies to report illegal activity by foreign vehicles.
“Our proposals for the implementation of these new EU rules will help to strengthen the operator licensing system and improve road safety without imposing unnecessary burdens on industry.”
The areas covered in the consultation include the role of transport managers, how operators can demonstrate sufficient financial standing and how operators’ transport managers can demonstrate their professional competence.
The consultation started 4th April 2011 and seeks views on how the new rules can best be implemented by the Traffic Commissioners,who issue operator licences and take enforcement action against those who break those rules
