Congratulations are in order as the FORS Practitioner is awarded to our founder!
Nick’s efforts and dedication in achieving this milestone is certainly worth the recognition, as it enhances his personal development and ours and Link2London’s status within the transport and FORS community. After attending all FORS workshops, Nick has successfully completed the FORS Practitioner programme.
What is FORS Practitioner?
FORS Practitioner is a series of ten workshops covering all aspects of fleet management. Designed to assist transport managers in their busy everyday roles, the workshops provide information needed to boost the performance of a transport operation.
The workshops can also help demonstrate professional development (as outlined in requirement D4 Professional Development of the FORS Standard), and help build your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours, as for each workshop equals 2.5 CPD hours. Find out how to claim your CPD hours here.
FORS Practitioner workshops 1 – 10
Workshop 1 – Developing fleet management policy
Workshop 2 – Managing work related road risk
Workshop 3 – Managing driver fitness and health
Workshop 4 – Managing driver training and development
Workshop 5 – Collision procedures and analysis
Workshop 6 – Safe and efficient fleet management
Workshop 7 – Reducing fuel use and minimising environmental impacts
Workshop 8 – Minimising transport fines and charges
Workshop 9 – Measuring and monitoring road fleet performance
TMconsultant is a Driver CPC consortium providing the opportunity for those who would like to deliver Driver CPC training but would prefer not to set up a training centre in their own right. By becoming a member of our consortium you can teach Periodic Driver CPC training with all the benefits of being a fully registered training centre with JAUPT, operating under the umbrella of TMconsultant.
If you would like any information about joining our consortium please do get in touch, here to share the knowledge!
TM1G - How many hours should a Transport Manager work? Simply, it depends on how many vehicles are on the margin of an operator licence holder's fleet.
The guidance explains how the Senior Traffic Commissioner believes that traffic commissioners should interpret the law in relation to the requirements for and on transport managers. The directions are addressed to the traffic commissioners in respect of the approach to be taken by staff acting on behalf of individual traffic commissioners.
They dictate the operation of delegated functions in relation to the requirements for and of transport managers. The role of transport manager is extremely important to an operator and therefore must be able to manage the transport operation effectively in the time they have available. The statutory guidance documents give a broad guideline as to what might be expected in terms of hours worked by a transport manager relative to the maximum number of vehicles authorised for a licence.
Please note that this is a starting point only. The traffic commissioners need to be satisfied that a transport manager is capable of exercising continuous and effective management of the transport operation and will consider each case on its own facts and its own merits.
TM1 - Transport Manager Application
Below is the guidance on what the traffic commissioner is looking for when considering a transport manager's application.
If you will not be devoting the amount of time to the relevant licence(s) as shown in the table above, you should provide the traffic commissioner with a written explanation as to how you will carry out all your responsibilities effectively in the time allocated.
Your explanation should include how you will ensure the operation and management of the following;
Drivers administration - including the checking of drivers' licences and driver CPC qualifications (DQC), ensuring that the retention of drivers hours records (no less than 12 months) and working time records (no less than 24 months) and both are made available upon request;
Drivers management - ensuring compliance with the driving hours rules (EU or Domestic Hours rules); that drivers record their duty, driving time and rest breaks; to download and store digital tachograph unit data (at least every 90 days) and from the drivers’ smart cards (at least every 28 days); ensuring that the following records are retained - drivers’ hours, Working Time Directive (WTD), and that they are available to be produced during the relevant period; to ensure that drivers are adequately trained and competent to operate relevant vehicles and equipment.
Drivers operations - ensuring drivers are completing and returning their driver defect reporting sheets and that defects are recorded correctly and cross-checked, and that drivers and mobile workers take adequate breaks and appropriate periods of daily and weekly rest;
Vehicle administration - including ensuring that vehicle maintenance records to be retained for a period of no less than 15 months, ensuring that vehicles are specified as required and that operator licence discs are current and displayed correctly; ensuring safe loading with appropriate indicators fitted, that tachograph calibrations are up to date and displayed, that there are up to date insurance certificates; a suitable maintenance planner is complete and displayed with preventative maintenance inspection dates at least 6 months in advance, to include the Annual Test and other testing or calibration dates;
Vehicle management - ensuring that vehicles and trailers are kept in a fit and roadworthy condition, that defects are either recorded and repaired promptly and where not roadworthy are taken out of service; to make vehicles and towed equipment available for safety inspections, service, repair and statutory testing at the appropriate times and within the notified O-licence maintenance intervals; to liaise with maintenance contractors, manufacturers, hire companies as might be appropriate.
Compliance systems - including details of training, management, monitoring and auditing showing the role you play including and what authority you have for instance to review any shortcomings such as prohibitions and/or annual test failures. How do you ensure that relevant changes are notified in accordance with operator licence requirements?
Licence administration – ensuring that the traffic commissioner is made aware of any relevant matters within 28 days including convictions and prosecutions of the transport manager(s) or drivers and also of my own resignation should I leave the employment of the operator.
The Senior Traffic Commissioner has also identified some general indicators as to effective transport management which you should comment on:
Knowledge and skills – which require more than just the formal qualification;
Impact – where the individual CPC holder is recognised as a key person within the organisation so that s/he can influence decisions relevant to compliance and authority to deal with external contractors. Their position should reflect the professional and personal responsibility vested in the individual;
Decision making – where the individual CPC holder is sufficiently close to drivers to be able to influence their behaviours and senior enough to influence the deployment of resources and to inform the decisions of the owner/directors/partners.
The above is not an exhaustive list. Transport Managers should also include any further information which is relevant to the operation under their control. The Traffic Commissioner may also require information about the location of the operating centres for which a Transport Manager has responsibility, and whether travelling time will have an impact on thier ability to provide effective management. Transport Managers should therefore also be ready to supply a breakdown of their working week, including details of visits to the operating centres and of travelling time, as this may be requested.
I hope you found this blog useful, if you would like to discuss your options or would just like to have a chat, please do get in touch. Here to share the knowledge!
Need help with your Operator Licence Application? We can help! Get started!
Here at TMconsultant we can offer like-minded professionals with freelance compliance auditor job opportunities to help us assist our clients throughout the UK. If you are a qualified or experienced compliance auditor and you are either looking for compliance auditing work we can help.
How does it work?
Once you have completed the application, we will add you to the compliance auditor database. Should a client in your area get in touch, we will simply make the introduction. We don't get involved with payments between you and the client.
How much will I earn?
We charge £700 per audit and take a 25% commission.
Can I get compliance auditing work for the DVSA earned recognition scheme?
Yes, but you must be a DVSA earned recognition scheme authorised audit provider. You can learn about how to become a DVSA earned recognition scheme authorised audit provider here.
Have you thought about teaching Driver CPC?
TMconsultant also offers opportunities for compliance auditors to teach Driver CPC. By becoming one of our consortium members you can teach Periodic Driver CPC training, with all the benefits of being a fully registered training centre with JAUPT, operating under the umbrella of TMconsultant. For more information go here. Alternatively please do get in touch. Here to share the knowledge!
DVSA have published this very useful, top 10 reasons vehicles fail an MOT test.
For class 7 vehicles, the top 3 defects were:
lighting and signalling
suspension
brakes
In 2016 there were 1,687 accidents, including 28 deaths, caused by vehicle defects such as tyres, brakes or lights and indicators. It’s important to make sure your vehicle is safe to drive, to help keep Britain’s roads safe.
About this data set
This data set comes from data held by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
It isn’t classed as an ‘official statistic’. This means it’s not subject to scrutiny and assessment by the UK Statistics Authority.
MOT test results by class
The MOT test checks that your vehicle meets road safety and environmental standards. Different types of vehicles (for example, cars and motorcycles) fall into different ‘classes’.
This data table shows the number of initial tests. It doesn’t include abandoned tests, aborted tests, or retests.
The initial fail rate is the rate for vehicles as they were brought for the MOT. The final fail rate excludes vehicles that pass the test after rectification of minor defects at the time of the test.
These tables give data for the following classes of vehicles:
class 1 and 2 vehicles – motorcycles
class 3 and 4 vehicles – cars and light vans up to 3,000kg
class 5 vehicles – private passenger vehicles with more than 12 seats
class 7 vehicles – goods vehicles between 3,000kg and 3,500kg gross vehicle weight
All figures are for vehicles as they were brought in for the MOT.
A failed test usually has multiple failure items.
The percentage of tests is worked out as the number of tests with one or more failure items in the defect as a percentage of total tests.
The percentage of defects is worked out as the total defects in the category as a percentage of total defects for all categories.
The average defects per initial test failure is worked out as the total failure items as a percentage of total tests failed plus tests that passed after rectification of a minor defect at the time of the test.
MOT class 1 and 2 vehicles: initial failures by defect category
We would like to welcome our new members to the TMconsultant Driver CPC Consortium! Micronclean, Headway Training, Logan Logistics, Ace Trainers, Prospect Training and Recruitment Ltd and Streamline Kent Ltd all joined recently and we would like to take the opportunity to wish our new members every success.
TMconsultant is a Driver CPC consortium providing the opportunity for those who would like to deliver Driver CPC training but would prefer not to set up a training centre in their own right. By becoming a member of our consortium you can teach Periodic Driver CPC training with all the benefits of being a fully registered training centre with JAUPT, operating under the umbrella of TMconsultant.
If you would like any information about joining our consortium please do get in touch, here to share the knowledge!
The government will be introducing new HGV roadworthiness legislation next year. The Department for Transport (DfT) has recently published the response to a consultation, setting out the HGV periodic testing and inspections exemptions which you can read here. It forms part of a wider package of legislation on roadworthiness-related changes, which will come into effect from 20 May 2018.
Who does this apply to?
The big question is, who (and what) does this new legislation apply to? Well, this is aimed at specialised heavy vehicles (which were previously exempt) who will now fall into the scope of annual testing. These vehicles will need to be plated before they are tested.
When will the new legislation take effect?
The DVSA will implement a phased approach for most vehicle types affected, which will extend the date for compliance, under certain circumstances, beyond 20 May 2018 and up to 20 May 2019 at the latest. It’s based on the Vehicle Excise Duty renewal date for the relevant vehicles. This will help to make sure the implementation is carried out in a way that gives industry more flexibility to balance out the testing of their fleet over a longer period.
Which vehicles will now be included?
In total, DVSA estimate there to be around 29,500 vehicles that will be brought into testing. The largest groups of vehicles affected are breakdown vehicles, road construction vehicles and engineering plant.
Top line categories of vehicles to be removed from exemption:
Mobile cranes; Break-down vehicles;
Engineering plant and plant, not being engineering plant, which is movable plant or equipment being a motor vehicle or trailer (not constructed primarily to carry a load) especially designed and constructed for the special purposes of engineering operations;
Trailers being drying or mixing plant designed for the production of asphalt or of bituminous or tarmacadam;
Tower wagons;
Road construction vehicles (but not road rollers and other specialised equipment not based on an HGV chassis);
Electrically propelled motor vehicles registered since 1 March 2015; Tractor units pulling exempt trailers; and
Motor tractors and heavy and light locomotives exempted under sections 185 and 186 (3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, where these are based on a HGV chassis.
It’s worth noting that showman’s vehicles, many of which are currently exempt from testing as plant or motor tractors, will remain exempt from testing via a new specific exemption
Plating and testing
The focus of the consultation was on the requirement for annual roadworthiness testing. However, heavy vehicles within scope of annual roadworthiness testing are also by default within scope of vehicle plating. This involves DVSA issuing a plating certificate, in advance of a vehicle’s first test, to be attached to the vehicle that denotes the maximum vehicle weight and maximum train weight. This assists with vehicle testing and enforcement. There is no fee to vehicle operators for being plated, but this imposes an administrative cost to DVSA, funded by roadworthiness test fees.
Vehicles becoming subject to testing will join the existing goods vehicle testing regime where DVSA personnel test vehicles at Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs). Where, due to the unusual design of a particular vehicle, this is not possible, the vehicle testers will satisfy themselves that safety and environmental standards will be maintained. The fees for these tests will be the same as applies to all currently tested HGVs
As with all consultations and new legislation changes they are detailed. So if you fall into any of the above categories it is recommended you read the full document which you can find here. Find out more about the phased approach.
If you need any assistance please don’t hesitate to get in touch, here to share the knowledge!
Looking for an External Transport Manager (ETM)? Here at TMconsultant, our External Transport Manager Finder Service connects transport managers with employer operators. Every day we collect details of external transport managers all over the country who are looking for work.
How does it work?
We want to ensure we find the right candidate for you, so the first step is to complete the form to the right, providing us with as much information as possible. When we receive the form, we'll get in touch with you to discuss in more detail.
Is there a contract to sign?
Yes, the ETM will supply the contract and both parties will need to agree prior to commencement of any work carried out. For more information and to purchase a copy template of the ETM contract please go here.
What's the minimum the contract be?
We advise a minimum time of 6 months to a year.
How many hours will the ETM be contracted to work?
That depends on how many vehicles are on your operator licence. The traffic commissioner's office statutory guidance provides a broad guideline as to what might be expected in terms of hours worked by a transport manager relative to the maximum number of vehicles authorised for a licence. Please note that this is a starting point only. The traffic commissioner will need to be satisfied that your ETM is capable of exercising continuous and effective management of the transport operation (see below) and will consider each case on its own facts and its own merits.
We charge the first-months fee from the ETM as our finders fee. However, this is payable by you (the client) so we can carry out the search. The ETM will start to charge you their fee at the end of the second month. Please click here for pricing. If we are unable to find an ETM you will receive a full refund.
Need more info?
We're here to help so just get in touch, here to share the knowledge!
Employers please complete the form below providing as much information as possible.
Changes to fines for commercial drivers rules will affect lorry, bus and coach drivers who drive tired will be fined for every time they’ve done it in the last 28 days.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) can fine drivers up to £300 if they’re caught breaking the rules. They can also be prosecuted or have their vehicle immobilised.
At the moment, DVSA can only fine drivers for:
offences committed that day
ongoing offences, like manipulating tachograph records, which record drivers’ hours
Drivers will be fined for older offences
DVSA traffic examiners will be given new powers to issue on-the-spot fines for any drivers’ hours offences committed in the last 28 days.
In a single roadside check, DVSA traffic examiners will be able to issue fines for up to 5 drivers’ hours offences. It means you could be fined up to £1,500 in a single check if you’ve consistently broken the rules.
It won’t matter if the offences took place in Great Britain or elsewhere.
The rules will also apply to drivers who don’t live in Great Britain. However, they’ll need to pay any fines immediately, before being allowed to continue their journey. DVSA will immobilise their vehicle until they pay.
When the rules will change
The exact date the rules will change be confirmed nearer the time.
The change will be well-publicised so drivers and vehicle operators are fully aware of the penalties.
As well as giving fines to drivers for recent offences, DVSA traffic examiners will start issuing fines to deal with drivers who don’t properly rest.
Lorry, bus and coach drivers must take a 45-hour rest break at least every fortnight.
From 1 November 2017, DVSA will start to fine drivers up to £300 if they spend their full weekly rest break in their vehicle in places where it causes a problem. For example, if a lorry driver spends their full break in the cab of their lorry in a layby.
Illegal parking, noise and litter nuisance
Spending the weekly rest break in the cab can:
contribute to drivers not properly resting
expose drivers to poor living conditions
It can also cause problems in local communities. In some areas, lorry drivers have parked illegally or inappropriately while taking the 45-hour break, and have caused residents to complain about noise, litter and anti-social behaviour.
During 2016, authorities in Kent took action against 3,700 lorry drivers for parking illegally or inappropriately.
Targeting problem areas
DVSA traffic examiners will target places where this is causing the biggest problems, such as residential areas and laybys.
DVSA will also work with its counterparts in other countries to deal with overseas operators whose drivers regularly do this.
Devastating consequences of driving tired
Crashes involving tired lorry drivers can be devastating. Almost a quarter of injuries in accidents involving lorries are fatal or serious.
About 40% of sleep-related accidents involve commercial vehicles.
According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), driving while tired may be responsible for:
In addition to the devastation caused to families and communities, road collisions cost the economy an estimated £16.3 billion a year, and add pressure on the NHS and emergency services.
Protecting you from unsafe drivers and vehicles
DVSA Chief Executive, Gareth Llewellyn, said:
DVSA’s priority is to protect you from unsafe drivers and vehicles.
These tougher fines will help us to take stronger action against any drivers or operators who break drivers’ hours rules and will help make our roads safer.
There’s no excuse for driving while tired. The results of falling asleep at the wheel of 40 tonne lorry can be devastating to families and communities. Any drivers breaking these rules is putting other road users at risk and could face losing their licence and livelihood.
James Firth, the Freight Transport Association’s Head of Licensing Policy and Compliance Information, said:
For some years, DVSA officers have been virtually powerless to take effective action against non-UK HGV drivers who may have committed a string of offences in the days and weeks before the vehicle is stopped.
These new powers mean the enforcement authorities will be more able – and more likely – to take action against all drivers who are found to have repeatedly flouted these critical road safety laws.
If you require any advice or you would like help with your operator licence, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Here to share the knowledge!
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e workshops can also help demonstrate professional development (as outlined in requirement D4 Professional Development of the FORS Standard), and help build your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours, as for each workshop equals 2.5 CPD hours. Find out how to claim your CPD hours here.
