Too often I see in my role the consequences of companies not keeping an eye on the detail of their transport operations which, whilst seemingly innocuous, can have serious repercussions down the line. And simply having ‘the paperwork’ still may not be enough to satisfy the DVSA.
No surprise then that an update last week from the Office of the Traffic Commissioner on this very subject caught my eye.
It concerned a business who had applied to increase their fleet size. Which was fine until a DVSA Maintenance Inspection duly revealed ‘numerous shortcomings’ in their existing fleet. These included ‘ineffective forward planning, significant gaps in safety inspections and concerns around driver defect reporting with six prohibitions issued for tyre defects’. All in all it was an accident waiting to happen.
The Operator did the right thing in responding promptly to the inspection outcomes but, if anything, their response revealed a further lack of attention to detail. In particular, it appeared that they hadn’t picked up on changes in the DVSA’s Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness – the 2018 version. But it was the quality of audit reports (or lack of) that did for the operator. Apparently, these were little more than ‘a single page of observations without much evidence to back them up.’ So the devil was in the detail – or here, the lack of it. And without underestimating my colleagues, not even the sharpest Transport Consultant could get that past the Traffic Commissioner at a Public Inquiry which is where this case ended up.
The outcome? The Commissioner ruled that the company had taken too long to catch up with regulation. Not only was the application to expand the fleet turned down, but four of their vehicles were taken off the road for a month and a transport manager found himself looking for a new job.
If there’s any silver lining to this story it’s that this outcome meant that reputations - rather than lives – were cut short. But the message was clear; keep up with regulation and requirements. Things do go wrong from time to time, but the right practices - and minding the detail – will be the difference between resilience and a damaging public episode.
It sounds simple but then these things often are in hindsight.
And, as if by coincidence, at a recent Freight Transport Association seminar I attended in Yeovil, the Traffic Commissioner indicated that it was desirable for all operators to have an annual independent compliance audit...
If you are interested in a health check of your operation, in the form of an independent audit, please call us on 01275 390001 or email admin@transportmanagersolutions.co.uk.
(Image credit: Freight Transport Association)
