Q. We have just won a new contract to clear houses belonging to local authorities. Would this be classed as door-to-door waste as the items are from domestic properties?
A. House clearances would not be classed as door-to-door collections for the purposes of the Department for Transport’s long-standing interpretation, unless they meet certain characteristics that a refuse collection and disposal operation should have to be considered exempt. These are:
- It should be carried out either by a public authority or by a private undertaking under contract to a public authority.
- It should involve the primary collection of waste from household or commercial premises, including the collection of street cleansing waste (eg litter from public street bins), whereby the transport activity remains subsidiary to the collection.
- Such operations might involve longer aggregate journeys where there are a number of stops, particularly in rural areas, but such journeys should not normally exceed a radius of 50 kilometres from the place where a vehicle is normally based.
DVSA does acknowledge that the clearing of a home following a bereavement, provided refuse collection and disposal is the core purpose, would likely be exempt from the assimilated drivers’ hours rules.
Non-designated driver
Q. We have a driver from a non-designated country that has been driving for us and has now applied for their provisional Category B driving licence. They have been a resident in the UK for the last six months. Can they still drive using their full driving licence or would they have to follow the rules of the UK provisional licence?
A. The driver would be able to continue to drive on their car driving licence up until the 12 month point of becoming a resident whilst holding a UK provisional driving licence. If they do not pass a test within the 12-month period, they will not be allowed to drive as a full licence holder and the conditions of a GB provisional licence will apply.
