TfL is to launch a Freight Compliance Unit (FCU) this summer which will act as the central point for enforcement activity against HGVs in the capital.
A key part of its strategy will be a shared intelligence unit based in central London manned by staff comprising a Metropolitan Police officer, a DVSA intelligence officer and a TfL intelligence officer. There will also be a link to the City of London police force.
Rob Lowe, of TfL’s on-street enforcement team, told the FTA’s Managing Freight in London conference on 2 June: “The unit will be the point where information is shared between all partner agencies to ensure everyone has the fullenforcement and compliance picture.
“This will allow us to ensure that enforcement activities become more disruptive to those who choose to be non-compliant, while allowing those operators that strive to be compliant to operate without any additional enforcement burden.”
The FCU will also support the Office of the Traffic Commissioners (OTC). It will ensure that any submissions the OTC receives are evidenced from all agencies, providing a complete history of an operator’s compliance and helping them make a fully informed decision regarding O-licences.
It is also expected that automatic number plate recognition will be used to much greater effect through the new intelligence unit, as Lowe said this was a “massively powerful tool that we haven’t used as well as we want to yet”.
This will enable the FCU to improve high-level intelligence and analysis to help choose the best place to locate enforcement resources on the road. It will also ensure the targeted vehicles are tracked and stopped effectively; and provide assurance to the OTC that operators who have had their O-licences suspended or curtailed are operating within the restrictions set by the TC.
TfL commisioner Sir Peter Hendy indicated there would be a joint intelligence unit at the Clocs progress event earlier this year, as part of its major targeted campaign against non-compliant operators.
- For a full report on the FTA's Managing Freight in London event, see the 15 June issue of Motor Transport
