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Charlotte Haye 26th July 2017

Why Independent Retailers Need To Understand HGV Licensing

When you’re setting up a business on your own, there are thousands of different things you need to consider – so many that you are bound to miss one or two. But if you are setting up an independent retail business, whether that’s in clothing or produce, how your goods are going to be moved around is an integral part of that process and for most retailers, that means enlisting the help of an HGV. You might not believe it but up until the late 1960’s, HGV’s weren’t very strictly regulated so many independent retailers simply hired a driver and got on with it. But with HGVs causing accidents or being driven while not roadworthy, regulations had to be put in place to ensure the safety of everyone involved. This is when the HGV specific licensing was brought in, along with other regulations to govern how HGV’s could be used. For independent retailers, this is a whole new industry which they need to understand if they want their business to be successful.

Licences

While it used to be that you could just get any driver to hop into the cab of an HGV, now you need to hold a specific licence to drive one legally. But instead of 1, there are 5 types of HGV licence out there, all of which means you can drive different types of vehicle. However, not all drivers will hold all of those licences. So for example:

Category C1: A Category C1 vehicle is a rigid body vehicle that consists of 1 complete unit and is between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes in weight.

Category C1 + E: A Category C1 + E is a small, rigid body vehicle towing a trailer that weighs more than 750 kgs. Category C1 + E vehicles will weigh somewhere between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, with a trailer of up to 750 kgs, and the total weight must not exceed 12 tonnes.

Category C: A Category C is the entry level licence for most HGV drivers. It covers vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and typically take the form of the smaller, more compact lorries you see in smaller towns, where larger vehicles can’t always go.

Category C + E: This class of license means that you can drive all of the biggest vehicles on the road, including articulated lorries. This can include vehicles with articulated trailers a well.

Horsebox: This one is fairly self-explanatory – it means you can legally drive a horsebox. This is a rigid body vehicle between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes, or a small van towing a trailer. Anyone with a standard licence can take a course to hold this licence individually.

So when you are looking to hire an HGV driver, you need to think about what type of vehicle you need and what size, and hire a driver who is qualified to drive that vehicle.

Restricted Vs Standard Operators

There are generally 2 type of operator out there – standard or restricted. Both of these need to hold the correct licences to drive their HGV’s. A standard operator can carry goods for hire or reward, so this will cover any hired HGV drivers. But a restricted operator can only carry their own goods and this means they cannot be hired by someone else. It also means that they don’t have to have a professionally qualified transport manager, which is why so many restricted operators aren’t really aware of the regulations they have to adhere to. Restricted operations are fairly common in independent retailers looking to save money, but all too often when they buy their vehicles the dealers won’t tell them that they need a specialist licence to operate it, even as a restricted operator. Additionally, there are other regulations you need to make sure you are adhering to as a restricted operator, which include:

Keeping the vehicle taxed, insured and within MOT

To ensure anyone driving the vehicle possesses the correct licence

To keep the vehicle and any trailers roadworthy

To obey driver’s hours and tachograph rules

To do a daily walk-round check of the vehicle before driving and record the check in writing

To keep vehicle maintenance and driver check records for 15 months

Not to operate more than the maximum number of vehicles on the licence

To operate only from the operating centre(s) on the licence

To tell the traffic commissioner within 28 days about:

Any convictions of the operator staff
A change in maintenance agreements
A planned change in entity (e.g., from sole trader to limited company)
A change in financial status (e.g. bankruptcy or administration)

At Easy As HGV, we help independent retailers understand their obligations as a restricted operator, as well as training them on how to safely drive, maintain and handle their vehicle. Our intensive courses cover every element of HGV driving and care so you can be sure that you are compliant with all government regulations while running your retail business. For more information just get in touch with the team today.