The Government has announced two more initiatives for professional drivers and freight operators as part of its Red Tape Challenge to cut unnecessary rules and regulations.
The Red Tape Challenge was launched in 2011 with the aim of reducing unnecessary bureaucracy for users of road transport and the rail, maritime and aviation services.
Initiatives introduced under the Challenge to date include abolishing the paper tax disc and paper counterpart to the driving licence, doing away with the need to renew Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) and MOTs on historic vehicles, and enabling more people to tax their vehicle online.
The Government says that in the coming financial year the introduction of further measures will save motorists and businesses an estimated £54m.
The first new initiative unveiled this week is the development of a new user-friendly guide for professional drivers to increase clarity and understanding on drivers’ hours and working time rules, particularly about when a driver needs to take a break.
Under the second initiative, the frequency with which digital drivers’ hours records must be downloaded from tachographs will be relaxed, a change which the Government says will benefit drivers on long international tours.
Stephen Hammond, under secretary of state for transport, said: “Taxpayers have a right to expect Government services to be convenient and uncomplicated. The work we have carried out to remove unnecessary paperwork has reaped real benefits for motorists and businesses.
“Some of these changes might seem very straightforward but they are helping to make life easier for millions of people. Our work will not stop there and we will continue to look for ways of slashing unnecessary bureaucracy across the transport network and ensuring Government services are customer-friendly.”
Click here to read the full DfT news release.
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