Excellence
by MARK CARTWRIGHT
Why Van Excellence and what does an operator get out of it?
In a world used to hearing fleet recognition
schemes claiming to constantly ‘raise the
bar’ and ‘go above and beyond legislation’,
many people wonder why Van Excellence is
so very proud of stating that we help people
to do what they should already be doing. We ask for nothing
extraordinary, demand nothing that isn’t already covered by
legal compliance and best practice. What then, is the point,
you ask?
I
The point is that UK van practice lacks a systematic and
coherent approach to compliance. It lacks the clear
prescription of HGV law – and frankly doesn’t want it.
As a consequence even good firms, with strong
management and a willing attitude find themselves
without a framework for ensuring good practice across
the whole fleet, which is captured in policy, properly
communicated, carried out and documented daily,
without gaps or ignorance.
There are many good firms out there who think they
run a tight ship; who believe they do everything
necessary. It is not until they are peer reviewed in an
objective standardised manner that they discover the
policies that don’t come alive in operations; the handbook no
one reads; the great practice that can’t then be
demonstrated to insurers or enforcement officials because
no one leaves an audit trail.
It sounds simple but it is in fact a huge undertaking to bring a
whole fleet to a point of best practice, where safety
underpins every element of the operation. It is an even
bigger undertaking across the whole of the UK’s 3.6million
vans, which has, overall, a horrendous non-compliance rate.
So Van Excellence, conceived by FTA members who run
“We ask for nothing extraordinary,
demand nothing that isn’t already
covered by legal compliance and
best practice.
What then, is the point, you ask?“
major vans fleets, provides training, guidance and a
comprehensive audit o