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No rules for light van drivers
Page 26
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THE INITIATIVES suggested by Transport Minister Stephen Ladyman are helpful, but unless backed up by proper regulations, ;Lich as the Eli driving rules for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes GVW, they may be of little real benefit to Jrivers or public safety.
lhe only rules applicable to ight vans are the British domestic 1riving rules: a complete waste of .ime, Without any need to keep -ecords they are virtually inenforceable except in rare :ases of extreme abuse.
There is no licensing of drivers 3r operators of light vans; no ;tatutory periodic maintenance :hecks; and no MoT test until the vehicle is three years old — 11though police may look for ippropriate business insurance :over in a roadside check.
Most light transport is handled )y courier firms. A few are good. Iv many are cowboys that :xploit their self-employed drivers with very poor rates that barely cover vehicle running costs once depreciation, maintenance, etc are taken into account.
Unscrupulous customers are a problem.1 have been asked to load in the afternoon to Yorkshire to deliver by Sam in Barcelona. or load late evening in Yorkshire to deliver to both Paris and Marseille in business hours the next day.Talk about mission impossible — and that's before they try to overload you as well Business would collapse without these vans, but what's the answer if they were to be regulated?
A vast increase in rates for one thing, and where would drivers rest if they ran out of time? A motel room in the UK is about £50. No employer is willing to pay that much, and self-employed drivers have to pay their own way.
There are moves afoot about speed limits and limiters for vans over 3.5 tonnes GVW but isn't it time for a serious look at light transport in general to protect both drivers and the public?
DS Boyes Leeds