CONNECTED - Issue 5 Winter 2024 by aquariusit.com

By In this issue:

NET ZERO

What are the deadlines, who is leading the charge and how can we help?

Customer Spotlight

Issue 5 – Winter 2024

McBurney Transport drive ahead with ClockWatcher Elite

Customer advocacy Why in 2024 it can be one of your most powerful sales tools

CONTENTS

Issue 5 - Winter 2024 PAGES Page

WELCOME

From Director Mark Johnston, welcoming everyone to this Winter issue of CONNECTED with a Net Zero themed discussion Page

3/6

TARGET DECARBONISATION

Chris Cuffe sets out the UK and EU targets for the decarbonisation of HGV and Coaches, and we showcase some of our customers who are leading the charge.

Page

CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

7/9

McBurney Transport discuss why they’ve never looked back since taking on ClockWatcher Elite.

Page

NO TACHOS HERE

A1A Travel has no requirements for tachographs; their top priority is the maintenance of their fleet of minibuses. Mark Johnston shares how the Wirral-based company is using Asset Maintenance and the Defect Check App to drive efficiencies.

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11/12

ECO PRODUCT FOCUS

Inline with the ‘net zero’ theme, we share how we are committed to helping operators who have, or who are transitioning over to greener HGV, PSV and LSV transport.

Page

VIEWPOINT

Subir Gupta, Aquarius’s National Account Manager discusses why customer advocacy is one of the company’s most powerful sales tools.

Page

CUSTOMER TALK

A round-up of our customer’s news and recent successes. Page

15/16

NEWS ROUND UP

The latest company news from our IT, support, and compliance teams. Page

17/18

TALKING COMPLIANCE

Marc Caplin, Aquarius’s Compliance

Manager provides a useful reminder about the amendments to the roadside record-keeping requirements that came into force in August 2020.

Page

TAKE THE EARNED RECOGNITION TEST

19/20

Have you got what it takes to gain ER status and are you ready to take the test?

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Customer Support: 0330 333 8788 Sales Team: 0330 333 8789

WELCOME To the Winter issue of CONNECTED, and to reflect what is the current hot topic of conversation in the road transport industry, we are starting the new year, in this our first anniversary magazine, with a discussion on decarbonisation.

Whilst the transport net zero agenda is not something we are directly involved with as a software company, apart from with our Asset Maintenance and Defect Check App and making our own sustainable travel choices as a business; we know it’s a subject that all of our customers are talking about and one that the industry is hotly debating. We saw this firsthand at the Motor Transport Decarbonisation Summit back in November, where there were some feisty discussions between the battery electric and hydrogen stalwarts; each presenting their case for what is the best net zero solution. My general takeaway from the panel discussions was that ‘doing anything is better than nothing’, and I think that was also the general consensus from operators.

es, opinions are naturally divided between those who are commercially invested in electric and hydrogen, and top academics also have their preferred viewpoints; the Green Finance Institute (GFI) also said last month that urgent action is needed to electrify the UK’s half a million HGVs if the government’s net zero transport targets are to be met. However, realistically at the end of the day, all operators can do, for right now anyway, is listen and do what is best for their business from a financial and practical point of view. For example, companies with depots in cities and towns might have a different strategic approach to zero-emissions, compared to those operating rurally where realistically there is not the physical infrastructure available yet for electric (unless they produce it themselves), as confirmed by the speaker from National Grid. There are too many physical, financial and logistical factors (and barriers) involved currently; the only real option is not to do nothing, and it is great to see on page six of this issue that many of our customers are leading the charge (no pun attended!).

Let us know what you think about the net zero agenda – it would be good to share your thoughts in an upcoming issue. Email mark@aquariusit.com Back briefly to this issue, we are delighted to shine the ‘customer spotlight’ on McBurney Transport who give us an insight into how they manage their mammoth driver / vehicle compliance responsibilities across four countries. As always, we hope you enjoy reading this fifth issue of CONNECTED, and please do get in touch if you’d like to be featured, or have ideas for technical or compliance related stories. Happy New Year. Mark Johnston Director

We’ve seen firsthand many amazing examples of best practice, but at the moment I think we can safely conclude that there is no right or wrong answer, which is why the Government’s recent announcement about The Zero Emission Road Freight Demonstration (ZERFD) programme launching is very much welcomed. Over the next few years, these real-life vehicle manufacture trials, will hopefully provide the non-commercially bias evidence the government / industry needs to formulate a strong net-zero plan that will meet the targets set (as detailed in Chris Cuffe’s article on pages 3-4). PAGE 2

NET ZERO TARGET DECARBONISATION Chris Cuffe, discusses here the UK and EU targets for the decarbonisation of HGV and Coaches. For context the main drivers to decarbonisation are coming from global agreements to cut carbon emissions to combat Global Warming. The Paris Agreement (2016) sets out to limit Global Warming to 1.5 degrees centigrade. It is easier to state which major countries are not members of the agreement, notably; Iran, Libya, Yemen and Eritrea. The USA under Donald Trump had left the agreement but the administration under President Biden re-joined in February 2021. Members of the Paris Agreement generally meet every five years with the most recent meeting having taken place in Dubai in November having been hailed a success as nearly every country in the world has agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels”. It is the first time such an agreement has been reached in 28 years of international climate negotiations. Transport Sector Emissions The transport sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas with exhaust emissions in the EU accounting for 25.9% of overall emissions (source: European Environment Agency, Transport and Environment Report 2022). Of this figure 71.7% of emissions comes from Road Transport and in turn 38.1 % of that figure from commercial vehicles. The total light and heavy truck contribution to CO² emissions is around 8.22% (see Figure 1).

ince 1990, emissions from most sectors such as industry, residential and agriculture have generally been reducing whereas transport has been significantly increasing due to the ever-increasing numbers of vehicles on our roads. EU HGV CO² targets In 2021 the European Commission introduced its ‘Fit for 55’ package where the 55 refers to the EU’s directive to reduce emissions by 55% by 2030 when compared to the levels of 1990. The proposals are currently being worked through sector by sector with a view to putting these objectives into European law. On 16 October 2023 the European Council announced a new agreement (‘general approach’) to update and strengthen the regulation on CO²emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. The new targets are as follows; • 45% emissions reduction from 2030 (increased from 30%) • 65% emissions reduction from 2035 • 90% emissions reduction from 2040

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FIGURE 1 EU document 2023/0042(COD) which sets out the strengthening of CO² targets states three key objectives; • To reduce CO2 emissions from heavy-duty vehicles costeffectively while contributing to improvements in EU energy security. • To provide benefits for European transport operators resulting from a wider deployment of energy-efficient vehicles. New performance standards should trigger manufacturers to increase the supply of zero-emission vehicles so that consumers can benefit from a decreased total cost of ownership. • To strengthen the EU’s industrial technological and innovation leadership by channelling investments into zero-emission technologies. The automotive sector needs to increasingly channel investments in zero-emission technologies to become a leading player in the ongoing global transition towards zero-emission mobility. UK HGV CO² targets In contrast the UK announced in November 2021 that all new heavy goods vehicles in the UK will be zero emission by 2040, furthermore goods vehicles under 26 tonnes would be zero emission by 2035. When this was muted the industry rightly pointed out that this would only be possible with a nationwide network of chargers and specialised refuelling facilities together with a sustainable business case for low carbon vehicles.

Whilst the UK government has set out its intentions it’s clear that this is not set in stone as on 19 October 2023, the Department for Transport invited the industry to comment on the current and future uptake of zero emission heavy goods vehicles and coaches and their refuelling and recharging requirements. The call for evidence concluded on 14 December 2023. Source: UK Dept for Transport, call for evidence, Infrastructure for zero emission heavy goods vehicles and coaches. UK HGV Decarbonisation programmes On 19 October 2023 the UK Government announced £200 million of funding for 4 innovative projects. This included the rollout of 370 zero emission heavy goods vehicles in partnership with Innovate UK. To support the programme 57 new refuelling and electric charging stations were also funded.

he four key projects which were subject to a rigorous competitive process are as follows;

• Project Electric Freightway – a network of specialist charging points. • Zero Emission Northern Freight – establishing a seven-site network with electric and hydrogen. • eFreight 2030 – consortium of 100 vehicles with megawatt charging. • Hydrogen aggregated UK Logistics (HyHaul) project – a Hydrogen corridor along the M4 motorway.

Each of these projects will expose a range of stakeholders to zero carbon vehicles and will act as stepping stones for greater uptake. Additionally, these projects should drive knowledge and innovation in zero emission vehicles to help accelerate the HGV decarbonisation process. See the Innovate website for a detailed breakdown of each project: Innovate UK In summary It’s clear that no operator will be able to ignore decarbonisation and the targets that have been set by the EU and UK governments forever. There are signs that a greater understanding of the HGV sector is being presented by governments and there has been a significant increase in consultation with the industry since the end of Covid. If projects like those highlighted above can lead to more costeffective solutions and a viable refuelling network then the business case should naturally follow. Once operators can see that the ROI of a zero-emission vehicle is palatable and with suitable incentives, uptake will quickly accelerate as is evidenced by the increasing sale of electric cars and vans.

Aquarius has known and worked with Chris for more than 15 years; since his early days at Tachosys when he was the Sales and Marketing Director. Today, using his vast experience of tachographs and software, he works as a freelance consultant alongside the management team at Aquarius.

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NET ZERO LEADING THE CHARGE

Here are just a few examples of some of our customers who are leading the charge on the road to net zero.

Welch’s Transport Welch’s Transport is one of the first hauliers in the UK to adopt a fully electric Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) as well as introducing its own Urban Consolidation Centre (UCC), which aims to make the last mile of deliveries within the city completely emissions-free. They have also installed one of the UK’s first publicly available HGV superchargers to speed up the installation of charging infrastructure in the region.

Campeys of Selby Family haulier Campeys of Selby has expanded its non-fossil fuel fleet to over 10% this year with the addition of six new Iveco S-WAY 6x2 biomethane (bio-CNG) tractor units – and says it strives towards sustainability is also delivering commercial benefits. The new units take Campeys’ non-fossil fuel fleet to 12 vehicles, and they form part of the company’s strategy to transition to a net zero carbon emission fleet by 2030.

Fox Group The Fox Group made headlines in March 2022 by announcing a UK first – the Group introduced two new Volvo FE Electric trucks. This was not only significant for the Group but for the Construction Industry in general, and a milestone in the drive

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Freshlinc Last year, Freshlinc took delivery of 60 new Gray & Adams temperature-controlled trailers with Carrier Transicold fridges. The trailers, along with two new DAF XF tractor units with eco-drive systems have helped to improve the fleet’s energy efficiency - achieving Net Zero is a key pillar of Freshlinc’s business plan. The company is also one of the first to install a

London Energy London Energy Ltd is doing its best to minimise the environmental impact of its fleet by reducing the emissions of its HGVs by using a Gas-to-Liquid fuel which is virtually free of sulphur, the principal cause of diesel pollution.

Montgomery Transport Group Its not just trucks either, the Montgomery Transport Group have purchased ten electric forklifts, as part of their plans to go fully electric.

Lawsons Lawsons led the way back in 2019 when they became the first builders’ merchant in the UK to field a gas-powered truck. Then 12 months later, they became the first to invest in five

Remote Downloading Remove the headache of time consuming, manual data downloading. Explore the timesavings and benefits of managing your fleet using remote downloading technology.

Benefit from: • Live tachograph information • Secure transfer of VU & driver data • Scheduled automated downloads • Secure server storage • More frequent access to data

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

LOOKING FORWARD TO CLOCKING UP ANOTHER 5 YEARS WITH MCBURNEY TRANSPORT. The McBurney Transport group, a family-owned company which was founded in 1965 by Norman McBurney OBE with a single lorry, has grown over the past 55 years to become one of Ireland’s largest independently owned logistics group. The customer base includes major supermarkets, food, and drink manufacturers / distributors, high street retailers, and stalwarts in the construction, horticulture, and industrial sectors. They range from multinational blue-chip corporations to small local companies.

To handle the compliance responsibilities involved with managing a team of this size, McBurney Transport has been using Aquarius’s tachograph analysis system, for the last three years. On proactively signing a new 5-year extension at the end of 2023, Marc Caplin, our Compliance Manager caught up with Lyle Watson, Group Training Manager, to find out more.

Synonymous with the McBurney Transport brand is their fleet of yellow lorries and personalised MCB registration plates. They take great pride in their fleet; in fact, the capital investment in their fleet is one of the highest of any transport company in Ireland. Across the group, there are over 370 vehicles, supplemented by over 1050 trailers which include 700 refrigerated trailers based out of 8 depots in Ballymena, Larne, Nutts Corner, Dublin, Cairnryan Port, Penrith, Heysham and Liverpool.

For context we have been using ClockWatcher Elite for 3 years, and, before this, we used another well-established system for many years, and we all agree that we wish we had converted sooner – so much so, we recently offered to sign a new 5-year agreement with Aquarius. ClockWatcher Elite has never let us down and we wouldn’t want to work with any other system or company.

The company also has more than 1000 drivers on its system, comprising a mix of full- and part-time and agency drivers. PAGE 7

Let’s start by asking how you are finding ClockWatcher Elite?

I’ve worked with tachographs for more than 30 years and encountered many systems, but I’ve never found a system that is as good as this, in terms of the level of data you can analyse, cross-reference, and report on. Its flexibility

I can confidently say on behalf of the transport team that since introducing ClockWatcher Elite we have reduced the administration time we spend on tachograph analysis by 90%. As a company that operates over eight sites in four countries, can you share any recent example of how ClockWatcher Elite has helped? A great example, is a few weeks ago we underwent an audit, and the number of reports we can access at a click of a button – many of which we didn’t know we even needed until we used ClockWatcher Elite – made the whole process seamless. We were able to extract more information than was actually needed for the audit. We also noted that the auditor trusted ClockWatcher Elite – this is important because in the past we have used systems where we have found flaws, where it’s not calculated WTD correctly for example. With ClockWatcher Elite everything is fully accounted for. During this audit process, we also needed help with one of the reports, and the immediate support we received from

Aquarius was phenomenal. We have never had this level of support before, and this is another reason why we also wanted to tie into a 5-year contract. In terms of the level of data the system provides, are there any stand-out examples? Yes, the way ClockWatcher Elite automates and visually crossreferences data related to missing mileage and unaccounted vehicle movements. This is a fantastic tool, which we also use with our telematics system. You literally cannot miss any information, as it jumps off the screen; the process is so much quicker, and with Aquarius showing us a different way to manage this within the software system we have saved so much more time.

”

and inherent ease of use are two other major features – I literally log-in on a morning, and the dashboard visually tells me everything I need to know at a glance, it automates everything for us.

We have reduced administration by 90%

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In summary, before ClockWatcher Elite all our data was historical, but it’s now available at our fingertips in real-time, which for a company of our size, operating out of multiple depots across four countries with remote downloading systems, is paramount. PAGE 8

What other support do you value from Aquarius? The compliance expertise. They have helped us out so much over the last three years because of their depth of knowledge about Drivers’ Hours Law and the Working Time Directive – they have educated us on some very niche areas, which is extremely helpful. To give an example, we recently took on a batch of 6 new vehicles in Northern Ireland and the tachos were not recognising the ferry crossing rules. We tried lots of ways to resolve this but to no avail.

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CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT

For us, this level of knowledge, and understanding of the law sets you apart from other tacho software providers.

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Ferry crossing infringements are one of those niche areas, but when we spoke to you [Marc], you told us exactly what we needed to do, and the problem was solved. For us, this level of knowledge, and understanding of the law sets you apart from other tacho software providers. Moving on to eSIGN … how do you specifically use eSIGN for infringement sign-offs / reporting? With eight separate sites to manage, which are effectively their own cost centres, we use eSIGN to assign each driver and vehicle to a group by site, which enables the sites to effectively manage their own resources and compliance responsibilities. Again, it’s another example of how the technology has streamlined our entire operation across four countries. As a fast-moving company, we are also reliant on agency drivers, and with eSIGN we can assign them to a group within seconds. Before eSIGN, as you can imagine, it was a very complex and time-consuming process. You mention agency drivers, how has ClockWatcher Elite helped with these? There is a function called ‘Card Dip’ which we value highly, as it gives us the facility to run quick checks on driver cards during the face-to-face interview stage; we can immediately see what hours they have recently recorded and if they are legally work-ready. Periodically, we also use it as an assessment tool to evaluate all of our drivers’ cards. What’s next for McBurney and Aquarius? Alongside our growth plans, we want to look at streamlining more driver / vehicle systems into Aquarius so that they align all together, and so we have one point of contact for all the aforementioned reasons around expertise and support. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk with us, it’s fantastic to see how well everything is going. We look forward to continuing to work with you and your team and providing all the support we can over the next five years.

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CARD DIP Our Card Dip function is available to all ClockWatcher Elite users via the drivers section of the main navigation menu. It’s primary purpose is to help an administrator or manager verify a driver’s availability, and is a useful tool to have when: • Interviewing for a new driver • Screening an agency driver who is looking to fill a shift for the day • Checking an existing driver to see if there are hours available to complete a shift. However, although this function of the software is not intended to be an analysis tool per se, it does also provide a quick snapshot of a drivers ‘performance’. For example it provides information on any infringements incurred in the previous 28 days, and when hiring agency drivers this is particularly useful because the user can make more of an informed decision by comparing how the driver has ‘performed’ with previous employers.

PSV ASSETS NO TACHOS HERE By Mark Johnston, Aquarius Director With our brand roots fixed in tachograph analysis software, it might come as a bit of a surprise that not all of our customers are bound by tachograph rules. This is the case for A1A Travel who is based on the Wirral, Merseyside, and has no requirements for tachographs for their fleet of 35 PSV vehicles. However, this small family firm run by Jennifer Ashworth is committed to maintaining their minibuses to the highest of standards, and that is why they have taken on our Daily Driver Defect reporting and Asset Maintenance software solutions. A1A runs their own onsite workshop and their mechanics are equally as stringent about standards. Before coming on board as a customer, the company operated a paper-based system for defect checking and maintenance planning, and I remember Subir once saying that he had never seen paperwork that is handled by a mechanic to be so meticulous! They take real pride in their work, Subir noted. As such, the company has fully embraced all the benefits of managing its fleet maintenance digitally. It’s the flexibility of the software that works for A1A. For example, with Defect Checking, they have been able to totally customise it for all their business needs, and many new ‘driver checks’ have been added, some of which we’ve not seen before as they are not all vehicle-related. These checks include making sure the onsite CCTV is operating correctly; the driver’s sun visor is working; recording the registration and fleet number; and drivers confirming they are carrying a valid CPC card.

Jennifer and sister Liz have both confirmed that even the most resistant technophobic drivers have embraced the technology and would agree that it is easy to use. They said, even those drivers without a mobile phone use the onsite tablet to record their walkaround check. By linking the Defect App with Asset Maintenance, they also now have instant reporting if a fault is picked up on the check. The mechanic is notified immediately and can get the problem fixed, i.e., a chip in the windscreen, before it turns into a costly bill with a VOR. A1A also uses Asset Maintenance to manage all their maintenance and MOT requirements and to plan in work a month in advance using the inbuilt planning calendar. The 6-weekly maintenance checks are customised to suit the business with the mechanics / fitters entering the information onto a tablet, which enables the Transport Manager to receive this information immediately. The next stage for A1A is to gain DVSA’s Earned Recognition accreditation, which they are well on their way to achieving.

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even the most resistant technophobic drivers have embraced the technology

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lus, due to the nature of their minibus business, operating short trips with multiple drivers, multiple defect checks can be done every day, and by using the Aquarius App it doesn’t cost them any more money as there is one set fee – this in turn facilitates their commitment to operating vehicles to the highest standards of roadworthiness, and as compared to paper checks has made the compliance process a whole lot easier to administer and manage. There is also an accident reporting facility on the App ensuring that drivers are prompted to collect all the required information at the scene of an accident.

Have you got what it takes to gain Earned Recognition?

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ECO PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS FOR ALL FLEET TYPES With the theme of this issue being around net zero, Subir Gupta, our National Account Manager, discusses how we are committed to helping operators who have, or who are transitioning over to greener HGV, PSV and LSV transport. We work with many customers (as you will have seen on pages five and six) who operate multi-fuel vehicles, from electric, bio-fuel, hydrogen and CNG, and the advantage of our Defect Check App and Asset Maintenance software is that operators can customise and create their own digital check sheets and reports to support the maintenance and management of all vehicle types, as well as all green-powered assets.

urther, to meet the evolving needs of the industry, when we integrated Asset Maintenance with our Tachograph Analysis software, Defect Check App, Time & Attendance, Defect Reporting and eSIGN technologies, we were not only able to provide an all-encompassing ‘connective’ fleet management solution for non-eco traditional vehicles, but all vehicles. This is because the systems have inherently always featured customisable templates and reporting options, and is why much of the work had already been done when alternative fuel vehicles became a viable option for the road transport industry; meaning our customers were able to hit the ground running when they started to convert over to eco-powered vehicles – whether that be with one vehicle/asset or several. For operators this also means that all driver / vehicle data can be shared on one platform and automatically cross-referenced across the full suite of products, for greater efficiency, visibility and ease of management. Plus, it means a busy transport office, operating multi-fuel vehicles, is not having to maintain more than one data set.

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This integration also enables operators to drill into, and report on, linked driver and vehicle information and provides a full audit trail for all company assets requiring periodic maintenance or inspection. Integration with the Defect Check App, also enables defects (including those unique to eco-vehicles) and PMIs to be assigned to mechanics with a simple click of a button. Equally for managing driver data, the connectivity between the Tachograph Analysis software with Time & Attendance and the Defect Reporting tools for example, gives operators a deeper layer of information when it comes to real-time analysis, forward-planning and compliance reporting. This is proving very useful for companies who are currently either trialling or generally looking to analyse the day-to-day management of different fuel-type vehicles.

Optimising API Technology To further assist in managing the data and analytics, we utilise API technology, something we have done for many years for companies with third party telematic and remote downloading systems for example, in order to make an even wider range of data available for greater visibility and efficiency, both for drivers and vehicles. Added to this, we were one of the first to team up with Optimize, who offer optimised route planning for electric vehicles with on-route charging facilities mapped out. Training Managing the transition to greenification, is not just about the vehicles either; it also requires a different approach to training and health and safety, and a key part of this is communication with drivers and staff. Our interactive Document Management System, which is also accessed via the Aquarius App for ease, is providing a great way to facilitate two-way electronic communications between the administrator and drivers. Policy updates, company memos, training materials, time sheets, expense claims and recruitment forms for example can all be sent en masse or as a tailored circulation, with electronic signatures and declarations able to be captured – and recipients able to reply with specific questions.

In summary all of our integrated software solutions provide operators who are on the road to net zero with a flexible and real solution for managing the operational and compliance needs of all types of vehicles. PAGE 12

VIEWPOINT CUSTOMER ADVOCACY Why it is one of our most successful sales tools … By Subir Gupta, Aquarius’s National Account Manager

As a team we have enjoyed working with many of our customers over a number of years, and as Mark Johnston recently said in the summer issue of CONNECTED, many we would consider more than just colleagues or customers – they are friends as well as our brand champions who will often freely recommend us to other operators and even invite them into their offices to show them how they use the software.

The same can be said of consultants, like Ian Thomas Compliance Consultancy, Protea Training Company and KB Transport Consultants and we are very thankful for their continued support and trust in us.

Customer advocacy is very important to us because Aquarius is not a traditional new business sales company with a dedicated team of cold callers; instead, we have excelled through our software’s strength and our trusted customer collaborations. We believe encouraging our customers to freely explain in their own words, and show prospects how they use the software, even inviting them to their premises and sharing why they chose our software over others, is far more powerful than any other first-party promotional content.

When all is said and done, this is hopefully all testament to the quality of the products and services we provide, and the fact that we listen, respond and support all of our customers equally. I also believe, our unrivalled levels of support stem from the fact that our sales, technical and compliance teams, have been with us since the beginning, and they have long-term, intimate knowledge of the software, the industry and importantly, they understand what our customers need (and if they don’t know they will quickly find a solution).

Prospects trust other ‘customers’, and this is particularly important to us working in the IT / compliance sphere, where it can be difficult for road transport operators, to know which software will be the right fit – and especially for those embarking into the digital world for the first time.

herefore, an endorsement from our customers goes a long way in convincing potential new customers to give our software a try – it provides added confidence and reassurance. Its thanks to these endorsements from companies like Campeys of Selby, Lynch Plant Hire, Freshlinc and Eastern Concrete to name just a few, that we have secured many new customers, who in turn have also gone on to be our brand champions. But it’s not just the larger fleets, it’s also very much prevalent with our customers who operate 1-30 vehicles – a very important sector to us. This is because for the last 19 years, we have been committed to providing as much support as we can to help those wanting to transition over to digital, or increasingly from one digital platform to another, no matter the size of the operation. As a result of building this trust over many years, smaller to medium fleets as well as owner drivers will often recommend our software to their friends in the industry thanks to our personal approach to service.

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This advocacy-approach may not be a suitable business strategy for everyone, but it works for us on many levels, and thanks to our brand ambassadors we continue to exceed our growth expectations year on year.

CUSTOMER TALK MISSON ZERO COMPLETE Well done to Essex Bulk Services Ltd for completing the Advanced Sustainability Accreditation with Mission Zero, a quality standard for the fleet sector. Craig Childs, the company’s Director said: ‘Sustainability is no longer just a corporate social responsibility initiative but a fundamental aspect of long-term success. Embracing Sustainability can lead to cost savings, improved brand reputation, enhanced innovation, and long-term resilience.”

PLATINUM ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS FOR CLARK TRANSPORT Congratulations to Clark Transport Ltd who celebrated the 70th platinum anniversary of officially incorporating as a Limited Company on the 20th November 1953. Keith Clark said, “Not a bad achievement for a lorry driver from Liverpool”. To mark the milestone, they also added a couple of additions to their fleet.

SMASHING MOVEMBER TARGET Bravo to Paul Smithson at Protea Training Company Ltd for taking part in Movember and for tripling his fundraising target, so far raising £750. You can continue to donate here and all monies will support life-changing men’s health initiatives across mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer.

“WE THREE KINGS” OF IRELAND Ahead of the holiday season in November, BM Transport’s Glen, Barry and Darren set off once again on a trip to deliver 3 truckful’s of aid to those in need in Nicoresti, Romania in association with Crosscause Charity. Well done guys, you are the “we three kings of Ireland” at Christmas time – check out their Facebook page for all the photos.

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NEWS ROUND UP DOING OUR BIT It was an insightful two days at the Motor Transport Decarbonisation Summit in November (as Mark shares in his Welcome), which included a visit Tyseley Energy Park in Birmingham. There were lots and lots of discussions and debates with operators, industry experts, suppliers and academics around hydrogen vs electric, but the key takeaway is that we all need to do something now, no matter how small. This was exemplified the week after the Summit, with Subir Gupta commenting on Linked In that he had held several online meetings, and it saved him travelling more than 1000 miles (and many unproductive hours sitting in a car) - as per the overriding message of the Summit, Subir said we all have to start somewhere and do our bit for the environment where we can.

THE APP IS READY TO ROLL Our newly updated Aquarius App, which fully supports our range of integrated driver and vehicle software solutions, is ready to be rolled out to provide companies with a robust, efficient, and transparent compliance management solution. Built with the driver in mind, the Aquarius App makes it easy for users to communicate, interact and record data, and it ensures that drivers have fingertip access to real-time company information on a day-to-day basis from their mobile or tablet. It supports Daily Driver Defect Reporting, Time & Attendance, Document Management and eSIGN (Infringement reporting) and link to our tachograph analysis software and asset maintenance system.

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LOOKING AHEAD – SAVE THE DATES This year’s 2024 event calendar is still being finalised, but we can confirm in date order, we will be Commercial Vehicle Show The Commercial Vehicle Show is the largest and most comprehensive road freight transport, distribution, and logistics event in the United Kingdom. The dates for 2024 are the 23-25 April, and will take place at the NEC in Birmingham. It will be free to register, when the line goes live in February.

Sustainable Road Transport Show Formerly ITT Hub, the newly re-launched Sustainable Road Transport Show is the UK’s dedicated exhibition and conference for commercial and passenger fleet decarbonisation. It is taking place between 15-16 May 2024 at Farnborough International Exhibition and Conference Centre, and will showcase the latest decarbonisation technology, solutions, services and strategies. Register for free.

Road Transport Expo RT Expo is the one-stop industry event that’s all about the truck and everything related to it. It’s a fun outdoor and indoor show that is held at NAEC, Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. The dates for 2024, are the 4-6 June, and registration is again free.

Euro Bus Expo Euro Bus Expo will be returning to the NEC in Birmingham in 2024 on the 12-14 November. Its another free-to-attend attend, and showcases all the buses, coaches, minibuses and associated products and services.

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COMPLIANCE RECORD-KEEPING – CHANGES TO THE RULES By Marc Caplin, Aquarius’s Compliance Advisor Despite the relevant legislation changes coming into force in August 2020, we are coming across a large number of operators that are still unaware of the amendments to roadside record-keeping requirements that were brought into effect. At the time, we ran a press release highlighting the issue so we thought it would be a good idea to provide an update as the Department for Transport has since provided some additional guidance. The initial change came in as part of what was termed as the ‘Mobility Package’ and this included an amendment made to Article 6(5) of Drivers’ Hours 561/2006 which, although a seemingly minor tweak, had major implications for record keeping. Prior to August 2020, the ‘original’ version of Article 6(5) which is the part of Drivers’ Hours that stated that drivers need to record any other duties, in addition to EU driving covering the period.

Prior to the amendment, drivers in this category needed to carry the current week’s-worth of records with them for the purposes of Drivers’ Hours enforcement - with other records able to be kept via alternative methods e.g. diary, timesheets etc.

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This has now changed!

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The 2020 amendment, however is worded differently, leaving out the phrase “since his daily or weekly rest” which leaves things horribly open-ended and, in the absence of the previously stated time-scale, means that all drivers now have to keep all records for roadside inspection for a full 28 days. The records should include duty time carried out using a tachograph-equipped vehicle, work carried out elsewhere, as well as all periods of Daily or Weekly rest. Full-Time In-Scope Driving Activities For those drivers involved in full-time in-scope driving activities, the impact of this change should be minimal as the vast majority of their work will already be recorded on a driver card. For these drivers, the change may mean that they need to carry out a manual entry for Daily or Weekly rests if they were not already doing so. “Occasional” Drivers The sting in the tail of this amended paragraph and where it has a major impact, is for drivers that can be described as “occasional” – those drivers where driving is not their main

All drivers, be they full-time long-haul freight drivers through to those drivers who might drive an in-scope vehicle once a month, must carry 28 days’ worth of records with them at the roadside. This in itself may not sound like such a tall order, however the following clause contained in point 4 of Article 1 of the amendment document states:

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since his last daily or weekly rest period. This record shall be entered either manually on a record sheet, a printout or by use of manual input facilities on recording equipment

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function. For example, relief drivers, office staff called upon to jump in a vehicle when there is a driver shortage – there is quite a lengthy list!

This record shall be entered either manually on a record sheet or printout or by use of manual input facilities on recording equipment

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In reality, this means that a transport manager who jumps in a vehicle to cover sickness absence would need to make sure they have the appropriate records on them for the last 28 days (including the aforementioned work carried out elsewhere, as well as all periods of Daily or Weekly rest) which can ONLY be recorded as follows: • On the reverse of a piece of tachograph printer-roll (one record per 24-hour period) • On the reverse of an analogue chart (again, one a day) • Electronically via a manual entry (good luck trying to add several days’ worth of data without making a mistake!) This has proven to be a major headache for drivers and operators who fall into this category for obvious reasons.

n fairness to the Department for Transport, in order to reduce some of this administrative burden, they issued some subsequent guidance intended to be beneficial to those drivers carrying out non-driving duty for full weeks at a time. If the driver can guarantee that they will not be driving for a whole fixed week, they do not have to produce a separate written record for each day but, instead, they can enter their weekly activity onto the reverse of a single printout. The record would still need enough detail to allow enforcement authorities to identify when the driver has taken Daily and Weekly rests. The full details of how these records should be made can be found on the DVSA website. However, in scenarios where an occasional driver is unable to predict whether or not they will be required to drive, best practice would be to generate a daily written record on the reverse of a printout to err on the side of caution. The DVSA has been tasked with enforcing this at the roadside and, in many cases, the first thing operators are hearing of this is during a roadside check. It’s worth mentioning that these changes are based on the DfT’s interpretation in the UK, and EU enforcement bodies may take a different view. It is advised that drivers should make individual daily records if travelling into the EU to err on the side of caution. Alternatively, it will still be acceptable to use Attestation letters for international journeys. Final thoughts … Shifting the emphasis back towards paper-based records has been viewed by many in the industry as a backward step, given the abundance of technology now available that can assist with all sorts of basic day-to-day functions and, speaking as a software provider, we often get asked the question as to why information concerning work outside of a vehicle can’t be recorded electronically. Although we have passed this question on to both the DVSA and, in turn, the Department for Transport, we are still awaiting a response.

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