DVSA officially launched its Earned Recognition scheme at the CV Show yesterday morning on what the agency described as a fantastic day for road safety.
The scheme rewards operators for keeping their vehicle fleets and drivers compliant at all times.
In exchange for sharing compliance information with DVSA and adhering to a set of agreed KPIs, earned recognition operators are much less likely to be stopped for inspection by enforcement officers.
More than 60 HGV and PSV operators have been taking part in a scheme pilot since last April, which between them run 43,000 vehicles.
These companies include large national fleet operators, such as John Lewis and BT, as well as much smaller hauliers to ensure the scheme worked for all businesses.
DVSA chief executive Gareth Llewellyn hailed the launch as a “fantastic day for road safety” and praised those firms that had been willing to take part in the pilot scheme.
He added: “DVSA’s priority is to protect you from unsafe drivers and vehicles. Earned Recognition allows the best operators to go about their business unhindered, so we can target those most likely to be a danger to all road users.
“Even during the pilot, participating operators are already seeing the benefits. We’ve heard reports of improved relationships with drivers, better processes and recognition from customers. If you’re an operator and you take compliance and safety seriously, we hope that Earned Recognition is something you’ll aspire to.”
David Wells, CEO of the FTA, said the scheme would be a “welcome boost” to compliant operators. “DVSA will now be able to target its valuable roadside enforcement teams at those who jeopardise all other road users, while rewarding those who have exemplary records.”
DVSA confirmed to CM that as of today, around 4% of operators are now signed up to Earned Recognition, with this figure expected to rise to 10% by the end of year one.
