FTA unveils Truck Excellence scheme at CV Show

Monday 25 April 2016

The Freight Transport Association tomorrow announces the release of Truck Excellence - a voluntary, industry-governed scheme designed to raise standards and recognise excellence in the operation and management of large goods vehicles.

The scheme will be unveiled at the CV Show and joins the well-established Van Excellence programme under the FTA’s Fleet Excellence banner.

Developed and governed by FTA members, Truck Excellence is the only national scheme that accredits operators against the operator licence undertakings. Each standard maps entirely to obligations under the operator licensing regime and associated core legislation, which is what both regulators and industry agree is the desired standard for excellence.

Core areas covered by the scheme include operator licensing, transport management, operating centres and vehicles, maintenance systems, drivers’ hours, working time and records and good repute.

In addition to the integrity of the standards, the auditing approach is designed to ensure approved operators have demonstrated they have systems in place to continue to be compliant beyond just the day of the audit. The audit uses the ‘Plan, Do, Check, Act’ approach recommended by the HSE and Institute of Directors in the publication ‘Leading Health and Safety at Work’, looking at the role of the licence holder as well as the transport manager.

Because of this, an accredited operator is in a position to demonstrate the steps they have taken to manage their risk and obligations under their operator’s licence, should one of their vehicles be involved in an incident.
Sally Thornley, FTA Director of Standards, Audit and Accreditation said: “The scheme has been developed to include a modular approach, making it flexible enough to include and adapt to the changing standards of other accreditation schemes – looking to make the scheme both cost effective and future-proof.”

Truck Excellence is open to FTA members and non-members, although membership will make compliance easier to achieve.

The scheme will be officially unveiled at midday tomorrow (26 April) on FTA’s stand 4F20 at the CV Show at Birmingham NEC. Operators can register their interest with FTA on 03717 11 22 22 to receive more information.
 
 
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