Earned Recognition, a scheme that aims to recognise the best compliance, is still in the pilot phase. One thing is doesn’t do is give DVSA access to your data – but it does deliver some benefits to your business
DVSA has extended the pilot of Earned Recognition (ER), a scheme that, for eligible operators, removes them from routine roadside enforcement entirely, and the agency is seeking more entrants from the PCV sector.
ER centres on digital compliance, but – contrary to rumour – it does not permit enforcement authorities to examine an operator’s records whenever they wish to.
The truth is the opposite, and while the ER entry barrier is high – but achievable, says the DVSA – its reporting process is simple.
If there are no exceptions to report, that’s exactly what happens. A blank email is automatically sent to DVSA and there is no more communication until the next reporting date. Even if there have been issues, notifications are brief. DVSA then decides what, if any, action to take.
Operators still hold some misconceptions about ER. Last week, fleet management software provider r2c Online staged two seminars in an attempt to dispel them.
Straight from the horse’s mouth
Philip Lapczuk, DVSA Project Manager, Earned Recognition, confirms what other enforcement authorities have said by explaining that ER allows targeting of the serially non-compliant.
“We don’t want to waste our time and that of compliant operators. There are more effective ways to carry out enforcement,” he says.
The pilot has been extended until February 2018, and it will accept applicants until November. Uptake in the PCV sector has so far been modest; a handful of coach operators are enrolled, and DVSA is talking to some of the large bus groups. Its dialogue has unearthed concerns about the extent of the agency’s authority.
“We cannot access operators’ data,” says Mr Lapczuk. “It belongs to the operator, which is responsible for managing it. We are alerted of exceptions, which is the only time that we interact with ER participants.”
Data driven compliance
The most obvious requirement to join ER is reporting systems able to handle digital compliance data and create KPIs.
How that data is inputted is key. If it is generated via analogue means, but handled digitally, it is likely to be acceptable, meaning that users of analogue tachograph charts are eligible for ER.
Other criteria are applicable, including a satisfactory evidence-based audit by a third party; audits differ for PCV and LGV operators and it is DVSA that considers the findings.
For drivers, monitored KPIs include the infringement rate, Working Time Directive compliance (except agency staff), unaccounted for mileage, repeat offenders, and most serious incidents.
Minor tolerances are permitted, and the graduated fixed penalty system’s classification of offences forms the basis for them.
Alerts are raised when these tolerances are exceeded. They are graded yellow, amber and red in order of severity. Various combinations over the 13 annual reporting periods – including just one red – trigger an intervention, while five yellow or amber alerts in one year equals a red.
What then? “We’re not looking to punish operators,” says Mr Lapczuk. “We want to put things right by having an adult conversation with them. They are being honest with us, and we will work with them.”
Where human error has occurred – such as a tachograph card left in a vehicle unit over the weekend – data can be altered manually before KPIs are generated.
DVSA receives any reports one four-week period in arrears, and to provide a safety net, r2c’s Exemplar software issues an early warning if there is a risk of an alert at the end of the period.
There is no tolerance for most serious incidents, and nor is there for maintenance. A first-time MoT pass rate of 95% is required, and recorded action must be taken when a driver reports a defect. What that may be is left to the operator; as with much else in ER, it is trust-based.
Why should you take part?
ER’s primary function is to allow DVSA to focus its resources on serial non-compliance, but operators derive benefits from being part of it, too.
Besides the end of routine roadside stops, it’s about recognising that they are at the top of their game. Participants will be permitted to use a kite mark on websites and stationary (but not vehicles), and those who join the pilot will have Founder Member status.
It also elevates those operators in the eyes of DVSA. Mr Lapczuk uses the term “adult conversation”, and that’s a telling phrase.
So if you’re confident in your compliance, your staff and your systems, why not sign up to the ER pilot and show that you are one of the best operators in the business?
remote.compliance@vosa.gsi.gov.uk
routeone comment
When explained by Philip Lapczuk, Earned Recognition’s benefits are easy to understand. It’s not an easy scheme to be part of, but nor is it meant to be; it’s a privilege, and members are, to coin a phrase, treated like adults.
Nonetheless, operators’ concerns around DVSA’s access to their compliance data are understandable. What is now clear is that those worries are unfounded.
Introduction of a kite mark for members is a worthwhile step. It may be valuable when tendering for contracts where price is not the only driver; where costs are key, DVSA’s move towards targeting the serially non-compliant will be welcomed by those who do the job properly.
Like a number of industry schemes designed to promote best practice, ER requires work to join, but it has potential to deliver significant benefits.
