Responses to the amendments are welcomed
The Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain, Richard Turfitt, has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the Statutory Documents.
These publications offer guidance on how traffic commissioners apply the law and take a balanced approach to their regulatory powers.
The guidelines are reviewed regularly, with the aim being to provide clearer guidance and show transparency in the way commissioners operate and reach decisions.
13 of the 15 documents have been revised, with a number of amendments based on changes in the law and appeal decisions made by the Upper Tribunal.
The key areas which have been altered include:
• Stronger guidance on ‘fronting’ – where a company which does not have an operator’s licence uses the operator’s licence held by another entity;
• Greater emphasis on the importance of completing applications;
• Improved guidance on effective management and disqualification;
• A new section on support for tribunal users;
• Improved guidance on the main occupation criteria;
• Updated guidance on the expiry of grace periods; and
• A new section on driver employment status.
Senior Traffic Commissioner for Great Britain, Richard Turfitt, said: “The traffic commissioners are justifiably proud of our efforts to modernise.
“The Statutory Documents are necessarily based on legal developments, but few regulators are able to demonstrate the same level of transparency in their decision making as that achieved through their publication.
“Although many of the proposed amendments reflect changes in the law and decisions made at appeal, we want the industry to have a chance to review the documents before we re-issue them.”
The consultation on the amendments – which is active now – will run until 27 August 2018. Responses can be sent to [email protected].
