Following consultation with stakeholders and industry, the Senior Traffic Commissioner’s statutory documents have been updated. The revised documents, which are available online, explain the legal basis and the way traffic commissioners approach the exercise of their statutory functions.
Detailed information on legislation for goods and passenger carrying vehicles is provided in the guidance, as well as other relevant legislation and case law. The revised guidance details a range of topics including; good repute and fitness, finance, transport managers and operating centres.
Here we take a look at some of the main changes that have been made.
Good repute or fitness
This guidance sets out the requirements for satisfying good repute or fitness. The update gives better guidance on what’s relevant to your repute or fitness as an operator, and who is fit to fulfil conditions and undertakings on your licence. It also includes guidance on the approach licensing and compliance staff should take when acting on behalf of individual traffic commissioners, to determine good repute and fitness.
Finance
This document explains how the requirements for available finance can be met. The update includes improved guidance for staff working for traffic commissioners so that quicker decisions can be made on your applications. You can also find extra guidance on alternative sources of financial evidence.
Transport managers
This publication explains the requirements for satisfying professional competence. As a result of changes to the guidance, there is now a more streamlined process if you need to replace your transport manager directly or make additional nominations. The document also includes a role description for transport managers as well as a new approach to working hours.
Driver conduct
This guidance covers vocational driver conduct matters that are referred to traffic commissioners by the Secretary of State for Transport (through DVLA). The update provides more detailed guidance and contains a number of case studies, which you can use to train and educate drivers.
Decision making
This document explains how commissioners make their decisions, including calling operators to public inquiry. Changes to the document will lead to less serious cases being taken out of public inquiry listings. This is so that the commissioners’ tribunal resources can be targeted at the most seriously non-compliant operators, transport managers and drivers.
Delegations to staff
This publication sets out matters that traffic commissioners routinely delegate to staff acting on their behalf and deputy traffic commissioners. The updates include information that allows traffic commissioner staff to make more decisions on behalf of traffic commissioners.
Keep a look out for future blog posts which will focus on some of the individual topics discussed here.
In the meantime, learn more by viewing all the revised documents.
If you have any questions, please email us at: enquiries@otc.gsi.gov.uk
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