Impounding pressure on hirers
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• Truck rental firms could come under greater pressure to check that customers have valid 0-licences and to inform potential hirers about licensing rules once impounding becomes law in the summer, (CM, 29 Mar-4 Apr).
That's the opinion of Earl Attlee—the man who spearheaded the introduction of impounding with a private member's Bill in 1999.
"I hired a 7.6-tonne vehicle for private use from a wellknown rental firm and it didn't ask me the questions neces sary to determine whether I needed an 0-licence or not," says Attlee.
There have recently been a spate of cases in which companies have accused van rental firms of failing to tell them that 0-licences were required when renting 7.5-tanners for commercial use (see legal news, page 12).
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA) already advises its members to emphasise licensing regulations to customers, but stresses the need for access to a computerised database or hotline to check if hirers have valid 0-licences.
The government is stressing that impounding will only be introduced once the necessary IT systems are in place. VI product strategy and policy director Hugh Edwards says: "We're well on the way to getting the access we need at the roadside on laptops."
The DcT, which issued a consultation paper on impounding last week, expects the system to be based on the wheel clamping