Complying with your operator licence undertakings
Key to obtaining an Operators’ Licence are the undertakings given to the Traffic Commissioner. Operators promise that their vehicles will be safely maintained and safely driven and the undertakings refer to drivers’ hours, tachograph records, vehicle maintenance and speed limits. Operators declare that they will make proper arrangements to ensure that the individual undertakings will be fulfilled.
One of the first things that the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) inspector is likely to ask when making a visit is for some form of evidence that proper arrangements are in place.
The ICON programme provides that evidence.
From a Traffic Commissioner’s perspective, a ‘proper arrangement’ can only be one that is tried and tested and constantly reviewed and updated. It must be a system that asks difficult and searching questions, lots of ‘what ifs’, and which is not satisfied by simplistic answers.
Any operator who is following the ICON programme can be confident that they have, as required by their ‘O’ licence undertakings, proper arrangements in place. And if need be, with ICON they can prove it.
Michael Betts CBE
Senior Traffic Commissioner (Retired)
