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Up and coming law with the FTA
Page 40
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FUTURE LEGISLATION
Northern Ireland operator licensing reform: The DOE intends to amend the Northern Ireland operator licensing system to mirror that operating in Great Britain, including a system for restricted operator licensing to apply to ownaccount carriage for the first time, but without the introduction of Traffic Commissioners. Implementation is expected in spring 2008.
Speed limiters: The final phase of European legislation that requires speed limiters to be fitted to vehicles over 3.5 tonnes will be implemented on I January 2008. From that date. vehicles over 3.5 tonnes but not over 7.5 tonnes, first registered on or after 1 January 2005 and used solely in the UK, must also have their speed limiters set to 56mph.
0-licensing changes: Individual vehicle specification fees are expected to be dropped from the 0-licensing system and instead added to vehicle test fees in April 2008. At the same time proposals to remove the 28-day period of grace for vehicles used on the margin and the abolition of paper discs will be reviewed.
Graduated fixed penalties: The DfT has issued a consultation on the details of introducing a graduated fixed penalty system for road traffic offences, such as drivers' hours and overloading, to be issued by Vosa examiners. A deposit scheme is also proposed to cover offences committed by visiting vehicles/drivers who are unable to provide a GB address.
Low emission zone: The low-emission zone (LEZ) in London will cover all London boroughs (generally lying inside the M25). The zone will be introduced in three phases by vehicle category and minimum emission level. From 4 February 2008 goods vehicles over 12t will have to meet Euro-3, and buses, coaches and goods vehicles over 3.5t will have to meet the same standard by July 2008, as will light goods vehicles and minibuses from October 2010. A Euro-4 standard will be applied from January 2012.
Rebated fuel: The vehicles permitted to use rebated fuel will change on 1 April 2008. Road construction vehicles will no longer be an excepted category, but instead two new categories of tar sprayers and road surfacing vehicles will be added.
Corporate manslaughter: Corporate manslaughter legislation is in place to introduce a new offence for holding organisations to account for gross failings by their senior management that result in a fatality from 6 April 2008.
EU drivers' records changes: Vehicles that lost exemption from the EU rules in April 2007 have until 31 December 2007 to get a tachograph fitted. Also drivers are required to be able to produce charts and manual records for the current day and previous 28 calendar days from 1 January 2008. changed to allow the Highways Agency (HA) to take over vehicle recovery/removal on the English motorway and trunk road network. The changes include the appointment of a national recovery manager, HA traffic officers to be given the power to remove vehicles, and new statutory charges for the remal and storage of vehicles.
Driver Training Directive: Requires initial and five-yearly periodic training of professional drivers.The operational training will include fuel economy, drivers' hours and customer service, and is referred to as a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). New drivers will require an initial qualification from September 2008 for PCVs and 2009 for LGVs.All drivers will have to complete periodic training from 2013 for PCVs and 2014 for LGVs. Drivers will be required to carry theirqualification cards with them on board their vehicles.