The BVRLA has welcomed the first results of the Government’s Red Tape Challenge, which could have major benefits for the vehicle leasing and rental sector.
“Credit is due to the Coalition government for coming up with this initiative and the Department for Transport for working with industry to come up with some real results,” said BVRLA chief executive, John Lewis.
“I hope that the Red Tape Challenge will now become an on-going process.”
Transport Secretary Justine Greening today announced the following results from her department’s attempts to remove or amend poor regulations:
On-demand vehicle registration (V5) documents for the fleet sector
By allowing vehicle owners to request V5 documents on demand rather than issuing them automatically from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the government is removing the administrative cost of storing and distributing massive batches of documents.
“It remains to be seen whether this is a precursor to making the V5 an electronic document, but this will be a major cost-saver for UK fleets,” said BVRLA chief executive John Lewis, who took part in the DfT’s internal red tape debate as a ‘fleet sector champion’.
“Eliminating the paperwork burden of dealing with V5’s was one of our main suggestions when the BVRLA responded to the challenge back in May.”
Abolishing the paper counterpart to the driving licence
The government has pledged to abolish the paper counterpart to the driving licence by 2015. This will benefit all motorists, but it will also require the DVLA to introduce real-time electronic access to driver records for rental companies, driver training companies and other organisations that currently rely on the information on the counterpart.
“This is another common-sense move that removes paperwork and administrative costs,” said Lewis.
“We have recently set-up a secure line with the DVLA and look forward to working with them in enabling real-time access for members, hopefully at reduced cost.”
3. Removing the need to present proof of insurance when taxing a vehicle
A positive result of the introduction of Continuous Insurance Enforcement, this change will again remove a big administrative cost and headache for fleets.
Driver Certificates of Professional Competence – removing the need for some sectors to have one
The BVRLA will lobby for commercial vehicle rental delivery drivers to be exempted from requiring a driver CPC.
“The DfT has highlighted farmers carrying stock to market as a potential example of where the CPC requirement could be removed, but at least they are carrying a load, possibly after a long day in the fields”, said Lewis.
“In contrast, commercial vehicle rental delivery drivers will be taking empty vehicles to and from customers or branches.
“It makes no sense for our drivers to have to obtain the driver CPC if farmers don’t.”
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