The earliest months of the Covid-19 lockdown saw a marked increase in the number of commercial vehicle fleets adopting the DVSA’s Earned Recognition scheme, FleetCheck has revealed.
From March to June, 64% of new corporate customers coming to the fleet management software company cited Earned Recognition as a primary factor, compared to just 22% over the whole of 2019.
FleetCheck is an authorised audit provider for Earned Recognition and joining the scheme means those fleets will now be able to prove to the DVSA they are meeting the requirements of their O licence remotely using data provided from its software.
FleetCheck MD Peter Golding said: ‘It seems that several fleets decided to use the time that lockdown provided to undertake projects which they’d placed on the back burner including Earned Recognition. We saw a definite increase in interest.
‘As fleet management experts, we are strong supporters of the scheme. It provides commercial vehicle operators who can prove good compliance track records with the means to reduce the number of inspections they undergo plus a range of other benefits.
‘Also, as an authorised audit provider, we can help companies to manage the maintenance requirements for the scheme including key metrics such as adherence to roadside safety inspections, defect reporting and rectification, and the MOT initial pass rate.
‘Our software then automatically sends the results to DVSA, showing that KPIs are being met, with complete visibility over the process for all parties involved.’
Golding said that in the 18 months since FleetCheck had become an authorised audit provider, the scheme had delivered a positive operational impact on the way in which many of its commercial vehicles fleets handled compliance.
‘Fundamentally, Earned Recognition rewards fleets that have a strong safety culture,’ he explained. ‘For those O licence holders that take part and work with an authorised audit provider such as FleetCheck, it provides a much more efficient way to prove ongoing compliance.’
