Caroline Hobson

Head of Transport Regulation Unit

establish the credibility your customers. These checks need to be more extensive where there is increased vulnerability to fraud or other criminality. Checks will vary depending on your business risks, but you should:

• Understand and objectively assess the risks of fraud within the supply chains in which you operate

• Put in place reasonable and proportionate checks to identify transactions that may lead to fraud

• Have procedures in place to take timely and effective mitigating action where a risk of fraud is identified

• Document the checks you intend to carry out and have appropriate governance in place to ensure this happens

Effective due diligence helps protect both business and HMRC from losses and disruption due to fraud. Further information on due diligence procedures can be found in online guidance.

Visit http://www.gov.uk and search: ‘VATF73000’ or ‘EDDC02000’.

How can I report concerns? You can report any concerns that you may have online at GOV.UK

Fleet Maintenance

The Department considers a few maintenance requirements to ensure that you remain compliant with the conditions and undertakings of your licence.

First Use Checks

It’s vital that you know what checks you need to carry out inside and outside of the vehicle. Failing to complete thorough checks could result in unsafe vehicles being driven on public roads. Below are just some of the things that need to be checked.

Inside the vehicle, checks include: Mirrors and glass, wipers and washers, front view, warning lights and gauges, steering, horn, height marker and seat belts.

Outside the vehicle, checks include: Lights and indicators, fuel and oil, AdBlue, exhaust smoke, body and wings, tyres and wheel fixings, electrical connections and security of load. Always remember to record and report your findings including if there are no defects. It is important to have an audit trail which documents the defect on the check list to rectification. On GOV.UK you can find the HGV walkaround check guidance, print off the full HGV check list diagram to provide a reminder of anything that has the potential to be missed. Pre printed books and electronic apps are also available to record defects.

Safety Inspections

If any of the safety inspection arrangements have changed, including the intervals, update the record online. Any changes to this informationmust be notified to the Department within 28 days of the change. Failure to do so risks regulatory action being taken against the licence.

You may need to revise the safety inspection intervals during the life of the licence depending on several factors, such as the age of vehicles, changes to annual mileage, and the type of terrain on which the vehicles are driven.

The DVA’s Guide to maintaining roadworthiness explains the responsibilities and systems involved in maintaining vehicles in a roadworthy condition and is a good reference tool for deciding the appropriate safety inspection interval for vehicles and trailers. https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/ publications/driver-vehicle-agencyguide-maintaining-roadworthiness

If you are authorised to pull trailers, but do not own the trailer, you are still responsible for the roadworthiness of that trailer when you are using it.

It is important to keep the information on your licensing record up to date. Check that the information we hold is correct by logging into your online account. If you have not yet registered to use the online service, please create an account at https://www. gov.uk/manage-vehicle-operator-licence

First Time Pass Rate

This is another area where we get a large number of operators called to a hearing or we have to request an audit of their systems to ascertain how they are managing their maintenance. Our first indicator of failing maintenance systems is a poor first time pass rate for your vehicles at annual roadworthiness testing. The current first time pass rate for goods vehicles is 79% which means that one in every five vehicles fail the test, for which they are supposed to be fully prepared. Once a first time pass rate falls we start to get concerned and generally, if there are no other issues then we would send a warning letter to the operator to be aware and improve. If we see no improvement or the failure rate is lower, we may request the DVA to carry out an audit to check on maintenance procedures. If that audit is marked unsatisfactory then you will be called to a hearing to explain why, and more importantly, what you are doing to improve. Failure to improve may cost you your licence. So what can you do to ensure good maintenance? The Department publishes the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness which will provide you with all of the information that you require including sample records. Ensure that drivers are carrying out daily walk round checks, and that these are being recorded and that any defects are actioned and recorded. Ensure that all vehicles are receiving their safety inspections and that they are being carried out at the required intervals, if you are unsure there is a guide to intervals in the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness. Ensure that vehicles are regularly serviced and that records are kept, this also applies to tachograph calibration. Regular brake efficiency checks should also take place and the Department would recommend 4 per year with one of those being at the annual test. When you are having a brake test undertaken ensure that you get a copy of the result, that it records braking efficiency and that it is a pass, these should be stored in the vehicle file and be readily accessible. If you contract maintenance out then ensure you have access to all the maintenance records at your establishment address. We do check the notice of refusal to see why the vehicle has failed, to check if there are recurring items, or if a vehicle has been presented for a list! Remember if a vehicle fails a test and is presented the same day for a retest and passes it is still a first time failure. You should have a maintenance planner whether this is a wall chart or a software system it is only as good as the person checking it. Finally ensure that your maintenance staff are properly trained on the vehicles that they maintain. If you look after your first time pass rate, and keep your vehicles maintained, then your vehicles will look after you.