Northern Ireland 0-licensing reform The Department of the Environment has
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introduced primary legislation to more closely mirror the British system, including the introduction of restricted licensing for own-account carriage for the first time. In April 2011, existing hire or reward operators will be entered onto the Operator Licensing Business System database, and, from April 2012, own account operators will have to apply for a restricted licence.
ADR changes The 2009 text of the carriage of dangerous goods rules (known as ADR) introduces additional changes from 1 January 2011 to the carriage of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities, including new placarding requirements for transport units over 12 tonnes tare weight that are carrying limited quantity goods in excess of 8 tonnes.
Digital tachograph changes European legislation amends the technical specification of the digital tachograph. These include an increase in the number of company locks from 20 to 255, changes to the way in which driving and activity is recorded, and establishes common test specifications for printout paper in October 2011. To detect tampering, information from the motion sensor will be checked against vehicle data, and any discrepancies will be logged as faults from October 2012. 0-licensing changes Harmonised licensing rules for international operators and transport managers will be introduced on 4 December 2011. Key changes are the introduction of a pan-European database, merging of National and International Transport Manager CPCs and restrictions on part-time transport managers. These access to the occupation regulations will be introduced by 2012, and they include a requirement limiting the scope of transport managers representing more than one operation. They will not be able to work for more than four firms, and the total of vehicles must not exceed 50.
Enforcement of motor insurance The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a consultation on plans to use the DVLA vehicles register and the Motor Insurance Database to warn, then penalise (fixed penalty of £100, immobilisation and eventually disposal) vehicle keepers who fail to hold valid insurance. Enabling legislation is already in place in the Road Safety Act 2006, and implementation is expected from autumn 2010 at the earliest.
VOSA powers to stop changes The DfT proposes to change VOSA officers' powers across England and Wales and extend them to Scotland and to OVA (Driver and Vehicle Agency) in Northern Ireland. Officers will be allowed to stop a vehicle at the roadside in order to make a routine check of drivers hours compliance, overloading or paperwork, without having to first undertake an assessment of the mechanical condition as is the case now. New offences of impersonating or obstructing an officer are also proposed.
Revised VED rates The Budget confirmed the introduction of exceptional rates of vehicle excise duty for certain HGVs, to ensure consistency with EU regulations. The number and value of exceptional rates is currently unknown, but will be announced after the necessary exchange rate data becomes available in October 2010. New rates will be effective from April 2011.
Vehicle test changes The DfT is reviewing the exemptions from HGV testing, with a view to removing up to 10 categories, including electric vehicles, engineering plant and tower wagons. The items inspected at annual test are also being reviewed, driven by a change in European law. Extra items are expected to be included in the test, such as air bags, front fog lamps and headlamp washers, but some items currently tested might also be removed. Both sets of changes are expected to be introduced in January 2012.