Category: Servicing and Maintenance

When driving a commercial vehicle, it is possible that you will be stopped for a roadside vehicle check. This could be by the police, or by an officer for the Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

You are eligible to be stopped if you are driving a commercial van, lorry, bus or coach.

The DVSA officers wear a recognisable hi-vis jacket, and their vehicles are marked with a black and yellow print. Officers will also carry a warrant card, so you know that the check is a legitimate, legal operation.

Why are these roadside checks carried out?

These checks are carried out to determine whether the vehicle is breaking any rules or regulations. This is done to keep unsafe vehicles off the road.

Whilst most accidents are in fact caused by driver error, it is safer to ensure that all vehicles on the road are meeting a certain standard. Otherwise, the overall rate of accidents in the UK may rise further.

The following checks are likely to be made:

• Is your vehicle carrying an authorised load weight?
• Are there any mechanical faults on your vehicle, such as extreme corrosion or worn out brakes?
• Do you have a valid driving license?
• Is your vehicle meeting emissions standards?
• Are your tachograph records up to date?

These checks will be carried out by DVSA officers by the side of the road or, in some circumstances, at dedicated testing sites.

If these checks are failed, your vehicle might be immobilised, and your business could be fined and even prosecuted for operating a dangerous vehicle.

What are some myths surrounding roadside checks?

According to the DVSA, there are some misconceptions around these roadside checks. Drivers may even be made to fear them unnecessarily.

Will cars also be checked?

Car drivers might be nervous to hear that officers are checking vehicles in their area. However, they need not be.

These roadside checks only target commercial vehicles. This is because they are typically larger, and therefore pose more of a risk to other road users.

Commercial vehicles also tend to be on the road for longer time periods than cars. These checks also ensure that drivers are taking breaks and not driving for longer than the law allows.

With HGV drivers in short supply, businesses may be encouraging their drivers to be on the road for longer to make up for this, so these checks are now more important than ever.

Will all commercial vehicles be pulled over?

These checks are aimed at businesses who are known to be non-compliant. Businesses that have passed checks before, or are part of the DVSA earned recognition scheme, are much less likely to be pulled over for a check.

Officers are able to check how compliant an operator is on their devices.

This is a great incentive to keep your vehicles in good condition, as passing these checks now will mean you won’t have to go through them again in the future.

Where does the money go from roadside fines?

If you are fined for failing these tests, you might be concerned about where that money is going.

According to the DVSA, all fines go straight to the government and used to fund vital public services. The fines are also used to fund the DVSA’s operations.

An exception to this rule is the £80 fee that the DVSA charge to free up an immobilised vehicle once a serious defect has been amended.

Why bother with these checks if most accidents are down to human error?

Only 2% of accidents on UK roads are a result of vehicle defects, so drivers might question whether the roadside checks are necessary.

However, the DVSA argue that it is because of these checks that faulty vehicles do not causes accidents. Annual MOTs and test for larger vehicles, in conjunction with these roadside checks, are helping to keep our roads safer.

These checks do also ensure that drivers are not on the road for an excessive amount of time. This keeps drivers off the road who might be feeling tired and not concentrating properly.

Will your business be massively fined for any vehicle defect?

The fine that your business might receive for running an unsafe vehicle will be proportionate to the severity of the defect.

Brakes that are heavily eroded for example might encourage a fairly hefty fine. On the other hand, if there are only minor faults, you might not be fined but will be issued an advisory notice that encourages you to get the fault fixed.

Whilst businesses might argue that they were unaware of the fault, this is uncommon. 85% of defects can be spotted during the driver’s walk-around check that they should carry out before each journey.

What happens if you don’t stop for a check?

You must safely stop your vehicle when signalled by a DVSA officer. To ignore the signal and continue driving is in fact a criminal offence.

If you do not stop, your vehicle details will be recorded so that you can be chased up later.

You might face court action, or have your operator’s licence suspended or revoked.

How can Fuel Card Services help?

As you can tell, it is worthwhile to make sure your commercial vehicles and drivers are prepared to pass a roadside vehicle check. Ensure that your vehicles are in prime condition and your drivers are doing their best to maintain the vehicle’s health.

With MyService.Expert, we make vehicle maintenance quick, easy and painless. We offer pre-negotiated rates at thousands of dealers and garages, with consolidated HMRC compliant invoices.

Get in touch today and see how we can help your businesses save time and money.

Any form of vehicle damage can be awkward to deal with, potentially costly, and involves having a little debate with yourself over whether it’s worth claiming on your insurance or floating the cost out of your own accounts.

This is true both for individuals, and for businesses who may experience this challenge frequently when operating a commercial fleet. One important question to ask yourself, though, is ‘who is responsible for causing damage to my vehicle?’

Naturally, if either yourself, one of your drivers, or another road user is at fault, it’s easy to point the finger at who should be paying up. If, however, damage has been caused by the road itself what steps can you take? That’s exactly what we’re going to dive into in this article.

What is vehicle damage?

If you’re driving along and run into a pothole, there are a number of ways in which your vehicle could sustain damage. From puncturing your tyre to bumping the chassis of your car and causing serious damage to vital components, you could find yourself racking up quite an expensive bill.

After identifying the cause of this damage, you should ask whether it’s a fault of the road itself or another driver. If the organisation responsible for managing the road is at fault, you may have scope to claim. However, if your car is hit by debris from another vehicle, for example, then pursuing a claim from the perpetrator’s insurance is likely the best option.

What’s key is that you can evidence a clear link between the cause of damage in the road, and the damage actually done to your vehicle. Meaning it’s important to take photos if you’ve sustained damage from a pothole, although do take safety into consideration and be mindful of other road users when exiting your vehicle.

Similarly, if you’re operating a commercial fleet, ensure that your drivers exercise the same level of caution – and that they realise you cannot legally get out of your vehicle for this purpose on a motorway. With that in mind, how do you go about making a claim?

How to claim for pothole damage

Follow our step-by-step process for making a pothole-damage claim.

1. Identify who is responsible

The first step in making a claim is understanding who exactly you should be looking to contact; i.e., identifying which organisation is responsible for maintaining the road in question. In England;

• London’s red routes are managed by Transport for London.
• The majority of motorways and A-roads are managed by Highways England.
• Any other English roads, as well as some A-roads, are managed by local council authorities.

You can check whether Highways England manages a road via their website.

2. Report the pothole to the organisation

You can make a claim for any damage caused to your vehicle by a pothole. That said, it’s also essential that you report a pothole to the organisation responsible for managing the specific road quickly – as they can be a genuine danger to human life if hit at high speeds.

If you’re operating a commercial fleet and haven’t done so already, then you may want to implement a process for reporting these in bulk. Naturally, if a pothole has been reported multiple times and not addressed, then this can only strengthen your claim for compensation.

When reporting a pothole, one useful tip is to drop an everyday item, such as your keys, into the pothole when you take a photograph. This can help the person receiving your claim understand the depth (and potential danger) of the hole.

The BBC estimate that councils in England and Wales fill in a pothole every 19 seconds, however 16% of roads in England are considered to be in a ‘poor’ state, so helping to report these is an important action to take.

3. Make your claim

Next, visit the website of the organisation responsible and follow their claims process. Generally, the organisation will want to understand:

• What damage has been caused to your vehicle.
• A rationale for the claim; how is this organisation responsible?
• Details around the location of the incident, such as the road name and the exact date and time the damage was caused.

After submitting your claim, you’ll find it either to be accepted or rejected. In the case of the latter- it’s possible to actually appeal this ruling if you have a strong reason to believe that you’re owed compensation.
You can read more about the complete process for making a claim on the Government’s website.

So, can you claim for damaged tyres due to council roads?

Essentially, yes. Whether you’re representing a business or you’re driving for residential purposes, if a council road causes damage to your vehicle, then you can indeed make a claim for compensation.

We hope this article has helped answer your questions, and that it points you in the right direction in terms of making your claim.

How can Fuel Card Services help?

At Fuel Card Services, we know better than most how vehicle damage can hinder a commercial fleet operation. We’ve taken matters into our own hands, and developed a range of professional fleet services that are designed to make it easier for you, as an operator, to manage and overcome these challenges.

Our services include:

• MyService.Expert – simplifying your vehicle maintenance and servicing. With our service, you can select from a range of garages near you and book in to gain access to our pre-negotiated servicing and maintenance rates.
• MyDriveSafe.Expert – Our app which enables the quick and hassle-free reporting of vehicle defects, and allowing your drivers to run through a series of easy-to-follow checks.

If you think your business could benefit from our solutions, then feel welcome to contact our experts for advice on how we could work together – or check out how you could save money on fuel with our fantastic range of fuel cards.

With many drivers taking to the roads for the first time since lockdown was imposed, it is crucial to ensure your vehicles are roadworthy. The government announced that any car, van or motorcycle MOT due from 30 March 2020 will be extended by six months, however, you should have an obligation to check the safety of your vehicle before you drive it after a long period of time.

Here are a few tips on how to check your vehicles:

Lights

Ensuring your lights are fully functional is vital. However, there are specific lights that can be missed to double check: front and rear headlights, licence plate light, hazards lights, indicators, brake lights. If any of your warning lights are coming on intermittently, it’s worth getting them checked out before booking your MOT.

Tyres

There are two important aspects to maintain when looking after your tyres.

The first is tread. The legal requirement states tyre tread must be at least 1.6mm deep. You can buy tread depth tools that are available in petrol stations or online. Alternatively, you can put a 20p coin in the treads. If you can’t see the outer band, your tyres will need replacing. Plan to ensure you can drive to a garage safely to reduce any unnecessary journeys.

The second feature is pressure. Tyres need to be kept at their optimum pressure found on their sidewall as pressure is gradually lost over time. Even if left stationary for an extended period, the tyres can develop flat spots and lose their roundness. If your car may be idle for several months, roll it carefully now and then to keep them even.

Vehicle liquids

It is sensible to check the levels of fluid to ensure when you do return to the road that your vehicle is car ready.

Ensure your fuel, oil, engine coolant and windscreen cleaner are topped up, so your vehicle is prepared for its next outing.

Here at Fuel Card Services we can help with our new product MyDriveSafe.

MyDriveSafe is our daily vehicle checks app that gives drivers a simple, comprehensive range of checklists, covering almost all vehicles and compliance with up to date safety standards. The Company Managers portal allows the fleet manager or business owner to monitor their fleet in one place easily. Any defects registered can then be actioned by the fleet manager or business owner.

For further information on MyDriveSafe, visit https://www.fuelcardservices.com/my-drive-safe or download our app to improve service, savings, security immediately.

Many business drivers will now be returning to their vehicles and fleets after a lengthy period of lockdown, but can they be sure these cars are roadworthy?

Road safety organisation GEM Motoring Assist has spoken out to remind motorists that they should check their tyres carefully before making journeys once again, as any prolonged periods of inactivity could have detrimental effects on their condition.

Check all tyres carefully

The body wants fleet owners and operators, as well as members of the public, to carry out pressure checks on each main tyre and the spare to ensure they are fully inflated.

Careful inspections of the sidewalls and treads should also be completed prior to taking to the roads, GEM road safety officer Neil Worth advised.

“Correctly inflated tyres with good levels of tread allow all the other safety systems on a car to work at their most effective – vital in an emergency situation,” he added.

This simple process should take less than five minutes per vehicle, yet could make all the difference to a driver’s safety. It is also worth noting that being caught by police with a bald or defective tyre could result in a fine of £2,500 and three penalty points on the driver’s licence.

According to figures from the Department for Transport, tyre-related incidents cause around 1,000 casualties on the roads each year. However, previous Halfords research has shown 13 per cent of motorists admit to having driven with tyres below the legal tread depth.  

Tom Cosway, brand representative at Fuel Card Services, comments: “Even though many cars will have been sitting idle over the past few weeks, they are still likely to be suffering wear and tear from their environment. They might also not have been fully checked before they were rested. We would reiterate GEM’s advice and hope everyone follows it before making any new journeys post-lockdown.”

Why not try our free MyDriveSafe.Expert app for carrying out daily checks to ensure your vehicle is safe to drive.