LEGAL BRIEFS
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THE HEALTH & SAFETY Laboratory has published two guides aimed at professional drivers and operators in the transport sector. Load Safe, Road Safe A Professional Driver's Guide to Safe Loading (£15) and Transport Safety An Operator's Guide to Safe Loading and Transport (£30) can be purchased from hsl.gov.uk. TRUCK DRIVERS with an automatic licence, can, from January, also gain the
manual entitlement when they exchange or upgrade their licence if they hold a manual licence for a car, truck, bus or coach. It follows a Driving Standards Agency consultation on changes to driver licensing and the vehicles that can be used to take a driving test. Another change from January will remove the need for eight forward gear ratios for large test vehicles.
TRANSPORT MANAGERS who hold a Grandfather Rights (GFR) certificate have until 20 November to apply for the new Acquired Rights certificate. To qualify, transport managers must have continuously managed a road-haulage or roadpassenger operation, in one or more EU member states for 10 years ending 4 December 2009. Legitimate and unavoidable temporary breaks, such as long-term sick leave and maternity leave, are normally accepted. GFR certificates were issued by the Department of Transport to those with experience of running goods and passenger operations in the 1970s and are used as proof of professional competence.