Whether you are a DVSA Earned Recognition accredited operator or not, the standards impact you – and you need to understand them.
Why?
Understanding the scheme will help you to make an informed decision about when getting accredited might be suitable.
Understand the standard will help you to embed the right processes and procedures now.
The standards set out what the DVSA deem to be best practice. If you are achieving these standards, you find a DVSA Desk Based Assessment (DBA) or an MIVR / TEVR straight forward to comply with.
Generally, where you don’t follow best practice guidance, you must still be able to demonstrate that the processes you have in place achieve the same, or similar level of compliance.
The standards may be – and have been – used by the Traffic Commissioners to compare how operators are performing.
Use of the ER Standards at Public Inquiry
In a decision at a Public Inquiry late last year Traffic Commissioner Kevin Rooney – now Senior Traffic Commissioner – referred to the Earned Recognition scheme’s KPI’s.
The ER scheme sets a 4% KPI for overall infringements – no more than 4% of the tachograph day records should record an infringement.
The operator in question had an infringement rate 30 times higher than the ER trigger level.
Whilst understanding that it might not be reasonable to expect all operators to achieve the Earned Recognition standard, Kevin Rooney highlighted that it is a benchmark for what “good” is.
It is clear that the Traffic Commissioners may assess you against the published Earned Recognition Standards.
The Earned Recognition Standards demonstrate what is deemed as best-practice in the industry. Responsible Operators and Transport Managers are expected to keep up to date with industry best-practice and take steps to meet this wherever possible. Operators and Transport Managers should use the Earned Recognition standard, and any other published resources for best-practice guidance, as an opportunity to learn how the business can develop to improve its compliance and reduce its risk.
Additionally, it is now common practice for any O licence undertaking for an independent audit agreed on an O licence to specify that the audit must be conducted by an Earned Recognition Approved Auditor. Even for proactive compliance audits, consider using an Earned Recognition approved audit provider.
A S Miles Consulting have been DVSA ER Approved Audit Providers since the launch of the scheme and have worked with a whole range of companies to help them achieve ER standards and also audit companies in the scheme.
To know more about the DVSA Earned Recognition standards and how you can work towards best practice, even if you do not wish to become accredited, please contact A S Miles Consulting today on 01455 389053 or email info@asmilesconsulting.com