Hindsight’s a powerful thing. It’s an old cliché but still holds true, and one that I see time and time again in my work with transport operators.
For example, I recently spent a day with a client. They’re a lovely couple who are unfortunately now facing the possibility of losing their Operator's Licence, and with it their business and livelihood. “If only we had come to you a year ago,” they told me. “We didn’t know there were people like you out there.”
If only…
In a parallel universe, the day we spent together could have been so different. It would have taken place a year ago, and I would have advised them to carry out either a compliance audit and/or an Operator Licence Awareness course.
A compliance audit provides details of where a business’ transport operation is not meeting the required standards, and provides practical advice of how then to become compliant. An Operator Licence Awareness Training course (OLAT) provides a comprehensive overview of the licensing systems and the legal undertakings that apply to transport operators. In particular, the course run by Transport Management Solutions is ideal for owner-drivers as it is also accredited to Driver CPC training and therefore counts for 7 of the 35 hours needed.
Besides costing less than a tank of diesel, either would have provided the knowledge to address failings, and would have avoided a situation of being found in breach of regulations and the undertakings of their licence.
The bottom line is that Transport Managers need to undertake continuous professional development. If nothing else, it’s simply good practice. Another reason is that a question a DVSA Traffic Examiner will ask in their visit report is, “does the Transport Manager/responsible person demonstrate relevant continuous professional development?” (the expectation being that they can prove some development or refresher training in the last 2 years). Failure to do so can potentially incur 2 points. In this case points mean penalties – not prizes – with 6 or more being deemed ‘Unsatisfactory’, and 11+ triggering a report to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but potentially very costly to a transport operator as my client has discovered. So don’t be that business rueing a conversation they wish they’d had 12 months ago.
For more information on the support we can provide, please call us 01275 390001 or email admin@transportmanagersolutions.co.uk.
