We’re already one month into 2020 so a moment of honesty…

By now there’s a fair chance that several new year’s resolutions will have been quietly discarded or put on hold. I think we’re all in the same boat on that one.

Another way of assessing how far those promises made on January 1st have come to fruition is by asking what feels different so far this year, whether in your personal or business life.

The theme of this article is that ‘it’s never too late’, and at this point I’ll share a story from last week.

I accompanied a client to a Preliminary Hearing with the regional Traffic Commissioner (Preliminary Hearings are a more an advisory conversation than a full-blown Public Inquiry - but one that still goes on the record). In this case, the client had applied for too many vehicles and also been caught overloading which prompted a visit from the Vehicle Examiner.

However, because they acted promptly and robustly to issues identified in an audit report that I carried out for them (which, by coincidence, were the same issues picked up by the Vehicle Examiner), their Operators Application was granted in full.

It may be a new year but nothing has changed when it comes to the importance of auditing – and the risk to business if it’s overlooked or put off indefinitely.

I’m going to sound like a broken record here because it’s a subject I may have mentioned before, but I cannot emphasise enough the importance of vehicle operators making audits intrinsic to running their business. I say this because it’s a problem I see time and time again – as do Traffic Commissioners - whereas, if audits are actually conducted and followed, it saves everyone a lot of time and energy. It also keeps operators safe, legal and in business.

I know they’re not everyone’s favourite subject but, given the multiple benefits to be gained from independent audits carried out by specialist consultants, I’m amazed that more transport operators don’t make their lives easier and go down this route.

It may be February now but I believe still early enough in the year for resolutions. So, if audits are at the bottom of the ‘to do’ list, and the way you operate your vehicle fleet doesn’t feel different, it’s never too late to change…

For more information on how Transport Management Solutions can deliver independent audits for your fleet, and other details of the support we provide, please call us on 01275 390001 or email admin@transportmanagersolutions.co.uk.