Concerns raised over new truck safety standards (video)

Better education of cyclists is being called for ahead of new truck safety standards taking affect.

Transport for London (TfL) will tighten the HGV Safety Permit Scheme in less than a year.

From October 28, 2024, HGVs more than 12 tonnes will require a minimum three-star Direct Vision Standard (DVS) rating or to fit the updated system of enhanced safety features - the Progressive Safe System (PSS) - in order to operate in Greater London.

However, there are concerns that all trucks will not be able to comply with the deadline, with the new rules only being rubber-stamped recently and anger that other road users are not being targeted to improve road safety.

Matt Hammond, head of fleet and plant at Altrad Services, told Fleet News at 10 that he was frustrated with the language being used blaming trucks and the approach TfL is taking.

He said: “The statement that was put out in relation to Direct Vision says that official data reveals HGVs in London are 'responsible' for 63% of cyclist fatalities and 25% pedestrian fatalities. Responsible, not involved.”

He explained: “I think the issue you've got is people don't understand trucks. People don't understand how a truck moves, how a truck operates, how a truck has to take different lines and different approaches to cars and vans, and if you put that into a busy city centre you're going to get lots of complex issues.

“I'm not saying that in all those fatalities the trucks weren't at fault, but what I am saying is you can't just put the blame on the truck and make it all down to the driver.

“There has to be better education in this country. You see some cyclists in London weaving around and even in a car you lose track of where they are.

"We need to move away from just pointing the finger at the truck guys."

Hammond favours more education of other road users, particularly cyclists, to help them understand how trucks manoeuvre and what the driver can see.

He said: "That's what we need to do, not to put the blame on the truck and make the truck driver responsible for looking at 50 different things every time. Let him drive, but everybody else needs to be aware."

Duncan Webb, the AA's fleet director complained that the new rules were only confirmed a couple of months ago and yet fleets are expected to comply with them by October 2024.

He said: "They won't actually endorse the equipment to say it is three-star standard so operators have got to make the choice whether they think the kit they're going to fit meets the standard, rather than the kit is endorsed as the standard.

“That's a worry and trying to do however many hundreds of thousands of trucks that go in and out of London in a 12-month window is not really feasible."

He added: "It's going to kill operators, it's a £550 a day fine. That's £100,000 a year if you don't comply.”

The DVS and HGV Safety Permit Scheme is a key part of the Mayor of London's Vision Zero plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London's transport network.

These changes, says TfL, aim to further enhance the safety standards of HGVs operating in the capital, helping them to reduce road danger for all, including vulnerable road users such as people walking and cycling.  

Data shows that fatal collisions where vision is a contributing factor have fallen by 75% from 2018 to 2023, which TfL says shows the importance of the HGV Safety Permit Scheme in reducing road danger in London.

In order to give the industry sufficient time to buy, fit, and test any new safety equipment in line with the new PSS, TfL says that there will be a grace period of at least three months following the standard tightening in October. This will be reviewed with industry, TfL, and London Councils in June 2024.  

Christina Calderato, TfL's director of transport strategy and policy, said: “It’s vital that all vehicles using London’s roads have safety at the forefront of their design and our world-first Direct Vision Standard has helped to significantly improve lorry safety, reducing fatal collisions where vision is a contributing factor by three quarters between 2018 and 2023.”  

The current Safe System of additional safety measures was developed and consulted on in 2018, and was reviewed by TfL in 2022 to reflect new equipment and technologies available on the market.

TfL consulted operators, manufacturers, suppliers, road user safety groups, industry and other stakeholders on its PSS proposals between February and April 2023.

The consultation showed that more than 55% backed the principles of DVS, the HGV Safety Permit Scheme and the principles underpinning the PSS.  

Last month, TfL published an updated DVS Guide for Operators along with technical specifications for Moving Off Information Systems (MOIS) and Blind Spot Information System (BSIS) to fully reflect the enhanced DVS requirements and the new PSS that will replace the existing Safe System.

The guidance provides an overview of the HGV Safety Permit Scheme and sets out the vehicle requirements needed to get a permit. It also provides details of how the HGV Safety Permit Scheme changed, demonstrating how the PSS is an enhancement of the existing Safe System.   

The next Fleet News at 10, which takes place at 10am tomorrow (Friday, November 24) will feature a special guest for Road Safety Week and Fleet Friday, Ross Morlock, interim chief executive at Brake.

He will join Lorna McAtear, head of fleet, National Grid, Paul Hollick, chair, Association of Fleet Professionals, Duncan Webb, the AA's fleet director, Chris Connors, head of fleet and travel at ISS, and Danielle Davison, group fleet director, Herd Group.

Topics due to be discussed in the monthly webinar include: tackling speed on the road and its contributory factor to KSI; reducing death and injury on the roads; how fleet policies need to evolve to integrate new levels of automation; and concerns over rules of origin. To register, click here.