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Has VOSA thought this through?
Page 30
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WE HAVE today received a letter from VOSA advising that it is looking to launch an Operator's Rating Scheme whereby if we pay it i1-5k to show that we are "compliant" they will give us a rating of gold, silver or bronze.
Having this rating, they claim, will offer reduced enforcement checks, reduced roadside checks, selfcertification of defects at MoT checks and so on.
Evidently I now have to prove that my company is compliant and pay for the privilege.
How long will it be before I have to pay the police to get an award to prove that I'm not a criminal, and stop PC Plod checking my house for stolen goods every week?
As an operator we already pay for our operator's licence and prove that we are able and trustworthy enough to operate vehicles. Now we are expected to pay even more money to prove our standing.
Has VOSA really thought about this before they started to write to operators? What happens when VOSA waves through a truck at a road check because he is 'gold standard', then the driver kills someone two miles down the road because his brakes are faulty or the driver has had insufficient rest? Can you imagine the legal consequences?
To me it smacks of a protection racket!
Obviously, as we are all so cautious about VOSA's motives at times, should you wish to print this in your letters page, I would request that you withhold my name and address.
by e-mail