BVRLA responds to Red Tape Challenge

Road transport red tape is under the spotlight and the BVRLA is urging the entire fleet industry to suggest regulations that should be removed or amended.

The Government’s Red Tape Challenge website has published a list of more than 400 pieces of transport legislation that are up for debate. It has also asked BVRLA chief executive John Lewis to act as a fleet ‘sector champion’ by helping the government to prioritise which regulations need to change.

To get the ball rolling, the BVRLA has listed ten regulations that it feels need a major rethink. They include:

Road Vehicles Regulations 2002 – The BVRLA believes that this law should be amended to allow registration documents to be issued electronically, eliminating much of the paperwork mountain that fleets have to deal with. The association has estimated that this step alone could save the fleet industry and the DVLA around £6m per year.

Vehicle Drivers (Certificates of Professional Competence) Regulations 2007 – This legislation should be amended to provide an exemption for empty vehicles being driven either to annual test, between operating locations or to a customer site on behalf of a rental or leasing company. This could save rental and leasing companies up to £5m per year.

Workplace Parking Levy Regulations 2009 – This legislation should be scrapped. It places an unnecessary burden on businesses and their employees with little or no environmental benefit.

“The UK has some compulsive lawmakers who emit far too many regulations, which is why the BVRLA spends so much of its time lobbying for common-sense legislation”, said Lewis.

“This challenge gives the people and businesses on the front line a four-week opportunity to fight back against this tide of road transport red tape. Let’s make the most of it.”

Read more about the Government's Red Tape Challenge.