Operators Responsibilities:
The operator’s role combines both the drivers and transport mangers jobs, you have to clearly define, outline and make some one responsible for the daily walk around checks and vehicle maintenance.
Operators are ultimately responsible for the condition of vehicles and trailers that are inspected and/or maintained for them by agents, contractors or hire companies and your drivers have to be given a way of reporting vehicle defects promptly.
Implications for Operators:
DVSA recognises that operators of heavy goods or passenger carrying vehicles will not get everything right all the time. However, you have to be vigilant and responsible. The penalties for and consequences of non-compliance to you the operator and/or transport manager or driver – can range from the inconvenient to the very serious and, sometimes, to the catastrophic. You may face sanctions or license curtailment which could mean the difference between profit and loss, not to mention if you lost your operator licence altogether resulting in business closure and job losses.
All companies with vehicles and even company cars are legally responsible and if a car has a defect that causes or may case an incident then the driver and operator are held responsible – worse case, accident with a fatality, the driver would be held responsible but his employer (the Director/Owner) could potentially face Corporate Manslaughter charges.
Operators and Checkedsafe:
At Checkedsafe, we can offer you a fully legal and DVSA compliant solution at the click of a button, the Checkedsafe App, based on DVSA guidelines that will track DVSA updates, offers your drivers and Transport Manger a smarter way of reporting defects. The Checkedsafe Compliance Management System reports all vehicles defects and nil defects/ accident reports once the daily walk round check is completed, this enables your Transport Manager and more importantly you to review the information and implement your policies and procedures for such situations.
The Checkedsafe App is more than just an app to input your information on, all the data will be held on our secure servers where you can access at anytime, this information can be supplied to the DVSA or police and even used in a Public Inquires with a Traffic Commissioner, or in court if defending/prosecuting a RTA.
