AS Miles

01455 389053

Welcome to the latest edition of our monthly newsletter.

Please click here to download the July 2018 edition.

DO YOU OPERATE TRANSIT TYPE PANEL VANS, PICK UPS OR MINI BUSES?

VIN PlateDoes your company operate panel vans / pick-ups? Do you know the plated weight of the vehicle? Your van has a maximum it’s allowed to weigh when loaded. This is called the ‘design gross weight’, which you can find on your van’s vehicle identification number (VIN) plate.

Some vans can be 3500Kgs and others can be 4000 or 5000Kgs. You can drive a van up to 3,500Kg if you have a standard car driving licence. If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 you might need to take extra tests before you can:

  • drive vehicles weighing between 3,500kg and 7,500kg
  • tow a trailer with your van

What licence does your drivers hold? When was it last checked?

You can be fined up to £1,000 and get 3 to 6 penalty points for driving without the right licence.

Any Panel van over 3.5 Tonne (3500Kgs) would fall under operator licensing, and then you have the trailer to consider.

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OPERATOR LICENSING UNDERTAKINGS

Vehicles operate within speed limits

This undertaking may seem easy for you to ensure that your drivers comply with the speed limits, your vehicles are restricted, and have speed limiters fitted to your vehicles.

Don’t forget to advise the Office of the Traffic Commissioner (in writing) if any of your drivers, transport manager(s) and director(s) have speeding endorsements, even if it was issued for driving a private vehicle.

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Prevention of Bridge Strikes

PREVENTION OF BRIDGE STRIKES

A Great Tool Box talk that should be delivered to all drivers covers the prevention of bridge strikes.

There are approximately 8,000 bridges that carry public highways and roads over the railway. In any one year approximately 150 bridge strikes are reported at these bridges.

Costs for delays to the trains and the cost of repairs are normally passed on to the company concerned.

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OPERATOR LICENSING UNDERTAKINGS

An Unauthorised operating centre is not to be used in any traffic areaAn unauthorised operating centre is not used in any traffic area

You may say this one is easy to comply with, but you would be surprised how many operators get this wrong. Once you have applied to add a new operating centre you cannot use it, even to just park vehicle and trailers on until licence is granted, or the interim licence if you paid the extra fee.

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We also cover Senior Traffic Commissioners Statutory Documents 2018 Revisions


To read all of the above articles in full, please click here to download our July Newsletter.

For more help and advice please feel free to contact us in confidence on:-

helpme@asmilesconsulting.com or call 01455 389053 and ask for Andy, Chris, Chris or Sarah.

by Paul Evanson