London Set to Extend Safe Driving Campaign

If HGV driving is your chosen profession, you might want to exercise great caution next time you are passing through London. A Transport For London (TfL) initiative aimed at cracking down on HGV drivers has proven so successful in its first six months that there are now plans in place to extend it beyond the initial trial. There is no word yet on how long any extension might be.

The Initiative is a joint effort between a number of agencies including the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the Metropolitan Police Service, and the City of London Police. The task force has targeted nearly 2,000 vehicles in the last six months, handing out 500 fines. They have even seized 24 vehicles and successfully prosecuted 15 offenders.

The Industrial HGV Task Force (IHTF) initiative was originally established to reduce the number of serious accidents between HGVs and cyclists. However, it appears as though task members were surprised at the number and types of violations they found. Violations have thus far included:

• improper recording of driver hours
• driving not in accordance with licence
• driving without appropriate insurance
• operating with unsafe tyres.

Proponents of the initiative, including London mayor Boris Johnson, have praised the task force efforts as being very successful in eliminating dangerous HGVs from London streets. That much cannot be denied. However, it remains to be seen whether the crackdown has any immediate effect on HGV/bicycle accidents. Those statistics should be very interesting when they come out.

Be Safe out There

Regardless of whether or not the London initiative reduces HGV/bicycle accidents, we still encourage HGV drivers to always be safe on the roads. Everything you do directly affects not only yourself and your company, but also everyone else on the road. A safety-first mindset is the best thing you can do to avoid being part of any sort of accident.

Another thing you can do is take periodic HGV driving courses to brush up on your skills. If you were not aware, such remedial training is now mandatory under the new CPC scheme. HGV drivers will have to undergo 35 hours of training every five years in order to hold on to a valid CPC certificate which, by the way, is necessary to continue legally working after September 14 of this year.

The HGV Training Centre offers CPC and HGV driving instruction at more than 45 facilities around the UK. We are happy to provide your training for a new licence or to meet your CPC requirements. All of the training we offer is provided by licensed and certified trainers who will do everything they can to prepare you to pass your tests. In no time at all, you could be graduated and looking for work.

Fleet managers are encouraged to take advantage of our CPC training as soon as possible. There are now just over four months remaining until the September deadline, so do not wait. There is no need to be caught off guard at summer’s end.

Sources:

TRL – http://www.trl.co.uk/trl-news-hub/transport-news/latest-transport-news/london-industrial-hgv-task-force-campaign-secures-extension_801712414.htm