1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148 
What is TAN 21?
Page 23
Page 24
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
A new computer system will be up and running before next April to automate the updating of 0-licence records. The introduction of this new system, TAN 21, (Traffic Area Network in the 21st Century) will allow operators to access and manage their 0-licence details in a much more efficient and transparent way. There will be new procedures and new responsibilities placed on operators and possibly a requirement to notify all vehicles on the margin of the 0-licence. This is one of the biggest changes to 0-licensing and the Traffic Area Offices which should improve efficiency and the detection and prosecution of illegal operators.
How will the system work?
The new traffic area web site www.tan.gov.uk will contain general information about operator licensing of both goods vehicles and passenger vehicles. Anybody will be able to log on to the site and have access to information about the licensing system. The opening screen will have information about the Traffic Commissioners and the traffic area network.
Other screens will contain further information about the licensing system such as who needs a licence, how to apply, and the system of objections, representations and public inquiries.
All this information will be freely available without any special access requirements.
What about self service?
The whole concept of the new system is that, as well as the traditional methods of dealing with the traffic area—letter, phone or personal visit—all operators will have the extra option of carrying out their transactions electronically.
Each operator will he issued with a PIN and pass word. This is the pivotal aspect of the whole system. Any transactions by phone, e-mail or by the Internet will need the PIN and password. Of course there is nothing to stop an operator writing a letter or visiting the TAO in person, but the convenience of using electronic communication is likely to make the above the favoured choice. When an operator who wishes to use the Internet needs to change any details on his licence he will access the Internet site, www.tan.gov.uk.
Having logged on and entered the appropriate password and PIN the operator will first see a summary of the licences held by the company, followed by a screen showing details of the individual licences, The next screen is the list of vehicles for all licences the company holds. If there is more than one licence there will be a drop-down list showing all licences held. The list of vehicles is sorted by registration number and shows when a vehicle was specified and removed from the licence, All of these screens will be accessed from the menu on the left of the screen.
Adding a vehicle
The current method of adding a vehicle within the margin involves asking the traffic area for a form, completing and posting it to the Traffic Area Office, waiting while the staff enter the details on the computer and raise a fee request, receiving the fee request by post, returning the request with a cheque, waiting for the cheque to be banked and receiving the vehicle disc. All-in-all the process takes, on average, 18 days to complete. Under the new system, to add a vehicle the operator will simply select the appropriate screen from a list, enter the vehicle details and submit the form.
Removing a vehicle
Removing a vehicle from a licence will entail using a similar process.
When removing a vehicle from a licence the system will double check with the operator that the vehicle is really to be removed by use of a confirmation button. The operator's account will be credited with the unused part of the licence fee.
Transferring vehicles
Transferring vehicles between licences held by the same operator in different traffic areas will be as simple as opening the appropriate screen, selecting the vehicles to be transferred and clicking the confirmation button.
Payments
When the system is fully operational a payment method form will appear. The operator selects his payment method, which could be a credit or debit card or his TAN account if it is in credit. He completes the relevant boxes and submits the form. Payment by direct debit will also be available.
The payment will be collected and the licence disc printed and posted the same day.
What if I don't have Internet access?
Whilst the system is designed for se-service, operators do not lose out on the advantages of the new system if they do not have Internet access. All of the above processes will be available by phone. If the operator does not have his case worker's direct phone number, he can phone the new national number which will recognise where he is calling from and transfer him to the appropriate office.
In this circumstance the case worker will collect and enter the details on the computer but the timescale should be the same, le one day.
What else will the system he able to do?
Operators will be able to update details of safety inspection arrangements and maintenance facilities when the system is fully operational.
Convictions
Details of any convictions against the licence holder will be kept on file. Obviously operators will not have the facility to change these details but will be able to check the information and challenge anything that they believe is inaccurate.
Applications and Decisions
Applications and Decisions details all applications for Operator's Licences and major variations together with lists of grants. The fortnightly journal also notes those licence holders who have been called to a public inquiry for either disciplinary or environmental reasons and gives the decision of the Traffic Commissioner. Already available by e-mail from the Scottish Traffic Area, this publication will eventually be published weekly for all traffic areas and on the Internet
When can I start?
As soon as the traffic area has issued you with your password and PIN you should be able to specify and remove vehicles on any licence you hold. Because of teething problems there might be some delay as the Birmingham and Leeds traffic areas roll-out has been delayed until the problems found in other traffic areas have been rectified. The project team is now confident that this first stage will be available to operators in the early part of 2002. By March 2002 all facilities including such things as changing details of maintenance arrangements should be in place.
What other proposals are there?
Since they have effectively the same purpose there is a possibility that the licence fee could be incorporated into the annual test fee. This would save a lot of administrative headaches and reduce the calculation of debits and credits but, like all apparently good ideas, it has a downside as well as an upside. If the fees were incorporated into the test fee any operator ordered to undergo a full test to remove a prohibition would end up paying over the odds. It might be argued that this would comprise part of the penalty and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, If this course of action were to be proposed it would, o course, be subject to consultation.
Another possibility that would also be the subject a consultation is that the present traffic area boundarie: might be aligned with the regional government office boundaries. The Scottish and Welsh Traffic Area bound aries are so aligned already.
It might even be possible to conceive of a single traffic area for England, This would address some of the prob. lems Inked with separate licences such as the transfer vehicle credits between traffic areas that is not possiblE at the moment.
In time it is intended that any member of the public could access any record that was already in the public domain, such as all the information that is already pub. lished in Applications and Decisions.
Impounding
When the discussions about computerisation first start& and the concept of instant notification was mooted one ol the perceived advantages was that, with real-time information available, the enforcement authorities would be able to identify vehicles being operated without a licence. The possibility of impounding such vehicles would give ar effective sanction against illegal operators.
Although there was concern about the possibility ol vehicles being impounded for technical offences, assurances were given that this would not happen. The original concept was that impounding could not be introduced without immediate notification. The Vehicle Inspectorate has now had a change of mind and is confident that its targeting abilities will allow it to use the impounding powers even though the 28-day concession remains. Assurances have been given that such powers will not be used at routine enforcement activities, such as roadside checks.
Summary
The TAN 21 project, at a cost of something over £10m, has been the government's most ambitious attempt yet in terms of electronic communication with outside parties. It has taken much longer than expected to come to fruition and it is still not completely functional. There is no doubt that, once all the teething problems are cured, the service provided by the new system will be a vast improvement on what has gone before.
As operators get used to using the web site for transactions the system is likely to be the preferred way of dealing with Operator Licence matters. For those who do not wish to use the computerised system the traffic areas will continue to provide the same service as before, using letters, phone calls and even personal visits, but most users will undoubtedly migrate quickly to the new system.