The DVSA and the Traffic Commissioners are increasing their focus on the way in which transport operators engage their drivers, bringing it to the fore in a series of keynote speeches at Transport Manager conferences.
It has been made clear that any business found to be assigning work to falsely labelled ‘self-employed’ or ‘LTD’ (freelance) drivers – or abusing agency driver arrangements – is expected to rectify the situation or face regulatory action against their Operator Licence.
HMRC has stated that it is ‘very rare’ for a commercial vehicle driver to be genuinely self-employed, and there have already been publicised cases where O-Licences have been lost. With the full force of the law coming down on it, operators must ensure that the way they engage drivers complies with HMRC and TC guidance. Ultimately, drivers should either be directly employed or engaged as ‘temporary’ drivers through a specialist driver agency supplying drivers to multiple operators, such as Driver Hire. Operators wishing to review driver engagement should seek specialist legal advice.
Over more than 40 years, Driver Hire has become the UK’s largest specialist driving agency. We’ve earned a reputation for high quality service and, crucially, full compliance with the requirements of our heavily regulated industry. For peace of mind when dealing with complex issues, give your local Driver Hire recruitment office a call.