We are taking your DVS concerns to TfL

RHA Managing Director Richard Smith outlines the latest DVS campaigning efforts.

We took our members concerns about new Direct Vision Standard criteria to Transport for London (TfL) officials yesterday (Thursday 14 March).

Firms operating HGVs of more than 12 tonnes gross weight in the capital will have to comply with the ‘Progressive Safe System’ (PSS) from 28 October.

Hundreds of operators have raised concerns about the practicalities of being ready in time. This includes availability and affordability of approved equipment.

We joined with Logistics UK (LUK) and the Association of International Courier & Express Services (AICES), and asked Transport for London to announce an extended grace period of 18 months to help firms upgrade their vehicles, and to issue a list of approved kit suppliers.

Ahead of the meeting we heard from nearly 700 operators in our joint industry survey, more than 100 on our RHA webinar, and we’ve had feedback from many members in ongoing conversations.

This helped us best understand operators’ practical challenges and then shape the solutions to tackle them.

We’ve invited TfL to see how different trucks fitted with PSS equipment – including an RHA training lorry – operate in London. This is in response to concerns that the equipment wasn’t tested in real-world conditions in the capital with many users reporting false positives from warning systems.

We believe this would help officials better understand the trucker experience driving in London, and will keep you updated on the outcomes from yesterday’s meeting.

We’ve also updated our FAQs on the new Progressive Safe System to help you ensure your fleets meet the new criteria: https://lnkd.in/eDJwZtzB

Your comments and thoughts on this are welcome.