Plan for vans coming into scope of operator licensing, NI government official urges members

The keynote speech was delivered by Richard Crawford from the Freight Policy team in the Department for Infrastructure, a devolved Northern Ireland government department. Crawford (pictured) outlined the details of the EU Mobility Package and its implications for operators of vans between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes, some of which will come into scope of operator licensing when new legislation comes into force on 21 May this year. From that date anyone operating a light goods vehicle and/or trailer between 2.5 and 3.5 tonnes on a hire and reward basis in an EU member state will be required to have a goods vehicle operator’s licence.

Seamus Leheny, Logistics UK’s Policy Manager – Northern Ireland, said: “We were delighted to invite Richard Crawford from the Department of Infrastructure to speak at our event last week. Richard shared his knowledge and expertise as to what the coming legislation will mean for our members, many of whom are accustomed to delivering across the border in the Republic of Ireland. The penalties for getting it wrong can be considerable, with the potential for large fines, so we are grateful to Richard for outlining how the rules will change and how our members can prepare for these changes.”

Also present at the event was Constable Neal Moore from PSNI’s Road Policing Unit, who spoke about driving licence entitlements, best practice for drivers of vans and trailers, and common enforcement issues at the roadside.

*www.logistics.org.uk/van

Published On: 07/04/2022 16:00:29

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