News

Operators need to have clear procedures in place to deal with graduated fixed penalties when they come into force next spring, the senior Traffic Commissioner Philip Brown has told MT. Although the onus is on a firm's drivers to not incur the fines, it could reflect badly on an operator if its drivers are continually receiving them.

Speaking at the FTA's recent Transport Manager Seminar in Maidstone, Brown told delegates: "If graduated fixed penalties are regularly being issued to drivers  from one particular firm, it could affect an operator's repute, as it might be seen as an indication that they aren't keeping things in order."

James Hookham, director of policy at the FTA, adds: "If a company starts collecting a lot of graduated fixed penalties, then they will certainly be looked at more closely by VOSA and its vehicle examiners.

"Looking at the list of graduated fixed-penalty offences, they are things that drivers should spot themselves during their daily checks. So if an operator's drivers are getting a lot of fines, it could mean the drivers aren't doing their daily walk-round checks," says Hookham.

Speaking to MT, Brown points out that it is quite possible drivers could receive a fine, pay it and not report it to their firm. "Operators are supposed to notify us of every graduated fixed penalty issued to its drivers, so they will need to have a system in place to ensure drivers are reporting the fines to them.

"If drivers are continually  overloading vehicles or driving on bald tyres, then the operator really needs to know about it anyway," adds Brown. Hookham says the FTA's advice to operators is to decide who's going to pay the fines and what the procedure is, "just like with parking tickets".

"Operators might turn round to drivers and say they are responsible for paying the fine when graduated fixed penalties come in next year. Whatever they decide, they need to get a system in place and stick to it," adds Hookham.