We look at the benefits of DVSA’s Earned Recognition scheme and some tools that can assist operators in compliance
In law in general, the onus has always tended to be on the enforcers catching the crooks and the negligent. But what if it were instead about the good guys proving their legality? DVSA’s Earned Recognition (ER) scheme turns commercial vehicle compliance on its head by allowing operators to share key performance indicators (KPIs) on driver and vehicle safety with DVSA, offering benefits for both: The operator is less at risk of roadside stops while DVSA can concentrate its efforts on those more likely to be a danger.
The free-to-join, voluntary scheme, which is now five years old, can mean operators face less downtime due to vehicle or premises spot-checks. The ability to use the ER logo can offer publicity advantages and additional data can also bring benefits for the operator.
It is expanding in its reach, too. DVSA National Account Manager Phil Breen spoke at Parksafe’s “Let’s Talk Fleet” conference last month about the new “Road to Earned Recognition” trials. This allows new operators who have received an O-Licence in the past six months to gain support to meet ER standards and eventually gain full membership.
The many benefits of ER
Microlise Group-subsidiary TruTac is one company which extols the benefits of ER following the success reported by many of its customers.
TruTac’s PSV-dedicated tachograph and fleet systems include the ER scheme’s dashboards free of charge, whether using TruAnalysis PSV or CPT Tacho Analysis. The dashboards enable operators to compare themselves against the KPIs in real time, whether they are on the ER scheme or not.
Some fleets have begun using these KPIs as a benchmark for driving improvements, while others have applied them to objectives and key results standards to improve compliance which, in turn, has led to greater efficiency.
Others have benefitted from moving to a paperless system or from winning tenders where ER is either a requirement or well received. In certain cases, drivers have simply told their employers they are happy to be working for an organisation that values high standards.
“There is no shortage of tangible benefits to joining Earned Recognition,” says TruTac’s Managing Director, Jemma James. “Any operator in pursuit of it is clearly keen to do a good job, and let their customers know as much.
“Those who qualify for the scheme often discover techniques to make their vehicles safer and more compliant along the way and end up with a much better idea of what’s going on with their fleet.”
TruTac’s range of fleet software is designed to help operators achieve ER status. As a DVSA ER-approved supplier, TruTac’s systems include TruFleet and CPT Fleet for fleet management systems; CPT Tacho Analysis and TruAnalysis PSV – tachograph analysis reporting specifically for passenger vehicle operators – and CPT Daily Checks and TruChecks for daily walk-round checks. These are pre-configured to help users boost safety and compliance to the high standards required by the scheme.
ER operators are recognised as DVSA-accredited on the gov.uk website and have direct access to DVSA’s dedicated ER team.
A streamlined approach
CheckedSafe is another IT solution which is approved by DVSA for sharing data for ER. The business behind it says it has always believed that technology should serve us, not become an additional burden.
As fleet operators, there are already enough metaphorical traffic jams and winding roads to manoeuvre around when it comes to maintaining compliance. The last thing anyone needs is another task to juggle in an already packed schedule.
Yet, rather than being another hurdle to overcome, ER can be a roadmap to achieving streamlined and seamless operations and should be seen as an investment rather than a weight on your shoulders, thinks CheckedSafe.
By requiring regular submissions of KPIs, the scheme promotes a proactive, structured and disciplined approach to fleet operations, eliminating ad-hoc, reactive compliance measures that often cost more time, effort, and money in the long run.
CheckedSafe claims to offer a complete digital toolkit to provide a 360-degree view of your fleet compliance, an end-to-end audit on defects and rectification, and maintenance and inspections.
Gary Hawthorne, Director of CheckedSafe, says: “Effectively, we were looking for a way to turn the ER scheme’s standards into an actionable, easy-to-follow tasklist, allowing you to get back to focus on what matters the most to you.
“Our multi-award-winning platform just does that. Designed with user-friendliness in mind, it allows you to simplify your journey towards ongoing fleet compliance – all whilst earning ER.
“More than just a digital checklist, we provide a real-time, auditable trail of your company’s compliance activities, greatly simplifying the ER scheme application process.”
Gary adds: “At CheckedSafe, our client’s success is our success. We remain committed to empowering coach and bus operators with the tools needed to succeed in the competitive market.”
Vital data at your finger-tips
Road Tech’s Tachomaster feature is used by many in the industry to ensure their business remains compliant by means of the latest technology. Since its launch in 2006, it has analysed nearly 250 million cards, charts and vehicle downloads and it is currently being used by more than 8,500 operators.
According to Road Tech Director Adrian Barrett, the beauty of the system, when it comes to ER, is that the module sits silently in the background and provides a wealth of KPIs for operators to analyse when needed. “In order for the ER to work, you just need to do your normal compliance,” he says. “There is no work to be done. You don’t have to trigger anything. It’s just a module that runs in the background.
“As soon as you get an infringement, there’s no delay. All the KPIs are automatically calculated for you and then, as an operator, you can go in and see where you have issues and with which drivers.”
He points out that most of the system’s users are not ER-accredited but value the data regardless. “ER is a really good benchmark for people to know where they stand as far as the DVSA is concerned,” he says. “It gives the industry the ability to know the levels they should be adhering to so they can judge themselves.
“One coach operator was telling me they thought it was such a good idea to use the ER module as it puts them in a position where they know where they stand and whether there are any issues.”
Road Tech has a complete suite of software, including Checkmaster (for driver licensing) and Pre-Drive (for walk-round checks) to help operators on a broad range of compliance issues. On a topical note following complaints from Westminster Council about coaches idling engines and threatening to remove parking bays as a result, Adrian highlights Falcon Tracking to combat this problem.
“We get lots of operators telling us they use this feature on the Road Tech notifier app on Windows, iOS and Android for computers and mobile devices alike to warn of any excessive idling as it occurs,” says Adrian.