Hauliers still seeing delays in ADR pass certificate dispatch By
Page 8
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Chr._ indall DANGEROUS GOODS hauliers have said they are still experiencing delays in obtaining ADR pass certificates, months after CM first highlighted the problem.
Thurrock-based Suckling Transport said the system was "grinding to a halt" and its drivers were unable to work, despite passing their exams as far back as November.
However, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), which administers the courses and dispatches ADR photo cards, claimed it was unaware of any issues.
Suckling MID Peter Lamer said the SQA should provide hauliers with certificates within six weeks of their drivers passing the exams, but added: "This isn't happening. Only this week, we had two drivers whose ADR cards expired and [they] could not work. I recognise that some of the delays are due to training providers not passing the necessary information to SQA, but the situation has deteriorated to an unacceptable level." Nick Deal, logistics manager at the Road Haulage Association, described the problem as "an absolute disaster from a company's point of view': He added: "Sensibly, you need to be taking the exams three months before [the deadline].
"SQA would be the first to admit [it isn't] doing it as quickly as it was done before, but it is doing it within the contracted time by the looks of it."
Sue Macfarlane, head of specialist awards and services at the SQA, said delays occurred when candidates' details were submitted inaccurately or were incomplete. "If candidates or employers encounter any such delays, they should first raise their concerns with their training provider, who should then contact SQA," she said.
"At this moment, we have not been alerted to any such concerns that breach our service level agreements."