Nigel Grainger brings together a related set of skills that all fleets require, to greater or lesser
degrees, but which may not have the staffing or the skills to fulfil those needs.
Bringing his wealth of experience in all areas of fleet management he offers a bespoke service through his company Fleet Risk Consultants, providing you with a cost effective fleet that complies fully with your 'duty of care' requirements.Driving Licences for New Drivers
Over the weekend I was speaking with an electrician who had been towing a trailer with his Land Rover Freelander, he was a little worrried about this because he knew that as he had passed his test after 1st January 1997 he was not allowed to tow a trailer, but he was doing so anyway.
I was pleased to tell him that he was not towing the trailer illegally, IF it was 750kg or less in weight. If the trailer weighed more than 750kg then he was breaking the law. To enable him to tow bigger trailers he would have to take a test. The tests are managed by the local VOSA test centres on behalf of the DSA.
Whilst we were discussing this he mentioned that he also on occasion drove a minibus for the local Scout Troop. As I have already mentioned, the guy concerned passed his test after 1st January 1997 which means he has restrictions on the vehicles he can drive.
Newly qualified drivers cannot drive any vehicle larger than 3,500kg in weight or with more than 8 seats. The minibus the Scouts are using has 16 seats, so the electrician was not permitted to drive that vehicle. The electrician was amazed when I told him this bit of news as no-one had told him that before.
His comment to me was ‘Why is this information so hard to find’. Now I am not entirely sure that it is hard to find as the rules are on the driving licence documents and they are also available on the DirectGov Website.
It is worth remembering that it is YOUR duty to know what you can and can’t drive, if you are not sure you should contact us for advice.
Employers should also be aware of the classes of licence held by their employees, because if you ask them to drive a vehicle they are not entitled to drive then you will find yourself in hot water also.
Nigel Grainger
Senior Consultant