National Highways launches free Toolbox Talks for van drivers

Following the success of its free Van Driver Toolkit, National Highways has launched a series of ‘Toolbox Talks’ – short videos, available through its Driving for Better Business (DfBB) programme.

The eight videos – each lasting around 8-10 minutes – address misconceptions around van regulations covering fatigue, drivers’ hours, safe towing, distractions, severe weather, speed limits, roadworthiness, and safe loading.

National Highways said the Toolbox Talks help cut through the myths to keep drivers safe, vans legal and to ensure employers comply with not just road traffic legislation but also their health and safety at work responsibilities.

Mark Cartwright, head of the commercial vehicle incident prevention team at National Highways, said: “The Toolbox Talks are aimed at the huge number of van operators who may not have the in-house expertise or resources and have a hazy understanding of the law.

“When HGVs are pulled over by the DVSA, the driver is usually aware of what’s gone wrong. Van drivers, often say they simply weren’t aware of the law. But it’s worth knowing that 89% of vans stopped by DVSA are overloaded, and the average fine per overloading offence is around £972. Ignorance is no defence.”

The video on fatigue says that one-in-five incidents are caused by tiredness and 40% of such incidents involve a commercial vehicle.

According to the roadworthiness module, 39% of vans fail their MOT the first time; 66% of all vans stopped at the roadside have serious mechanical defects; and of those, 85% should have been identified via a proper pre-use check.

Cartwright said: “We’re delighted with the impact our free Van Driver Toolkit resource is having in raising awareness of safety and compliance with van operators and their drivers, which was accessed 21,800 times in 2022 - and 46,009 times overall.

“PDFs of the Toolkit were downloaded 842 times in 2022 and 6152 overall. We’ve been listening to their feedback which is why we’re now releasing this series of ready-made toolbox talks. We’re sure operators will find this useful.”