Spotlight on a policy manager – the road to influencing legislation

In my 17 years at Logistics UK, my role has changed and evolved but I’ve always maintained a keen interest in road freight legislation, so I am really pleased to be working for members on this key policy area, alongside Phil Lloyd who oversees vehicle and engineering policy. Vehicle legislation covers areas like driver licensing, training, vehicle testing, drivers’ hours rules and professional qualifications.

Part of my role is as Secretary to Road Council, where we set policy as part of the Logistics UK association structure. Councils and working groups are my main route to engaging with members and I encourage people to take part in regional freight councils and working groups to ensure your challenges are voiced and you can influence Logistics UK’s formal position on key areas which we take to government. View the working groups and councils on Logistics UK’s website.

Our next Road Council is on 3 November where we welcome Loveday Ryder, Chief Executive at Driver Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) who will present on priority issues and provide a chance for members to have an open discussion on their areas of interest. We’ll be taking agenda items for this meeting at our regional councils.

Road freight is an area of constant change. I am currently speaking with officials at DVSA and the Department for Transport (DfT) to bring guidance and certainty to members.

Firstly, the ’28-days rule’ changes are now one of the main challenges facing members. The rule change has meant that drivers have to record 28 days of activity, even on days they are not driving. Although the changes occurred in 2020, we’re only now understanding the full burden the increase in admin is having, with vocational drivers being put off driving at all which is putting further operational pressure on haulage companies while supply chains are already stretched. Following Logistics UK’s intervention, DVSA has just published new guidance with the aim to reduce record keeping admin, and we shall see if this eases the burden. I will be raising the issue at EU level to see how other countries are implementing the new rules and to see if the European Commission will come forward with alternative proposals that we could then look at for the UK.

Secondly, Logistics UK is currently working on its position in respect of drivers’ hours and what changes we should make in the UK now we are no longer part of the EU. I will be working with members on this and will work closely with DfT.

Thirdly, there will soon be a review on how Driver CPC testing is delivered. We support the principle of this as it is an opportunity to enhance the driver role and develop career paths, ensuring logistics is seen as an attractive industry. We’ll keep members updated on this.

Looking ahead, on the October’s Freight Council agenda we will debate the call to evidence on driver licensing. There are a number of questions for members to have views on, including if we should revert to pre-1997 driver licensing entitlements which would mean drivers would automatically have C1 category when they pass their standard driving test. This is an area of great interest to members as it has been suggested as one possible solution to the driver shortage.

I’m also keen to bed in the international part of my role, looking at EU rules that will affect members who drive overseas. I’m currently working with the International Road Transport Union (IRU) to discuss driver shortages and improve the attractiveness of the profession. I spent 17 years in Brussels working on EU legislation and I look to bring this expertise into my new role and address the big challenges that our road freight members face.

*www.logistics.org.uk/campaigns

Published On: 22/09/2022 16:00:35

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