Wincanton, DPD, John Lewis and Cemex part of DVSA's earned recognition pilot

DVSA has published the names of the first operators taking part in its flagship earned recognition pilot, with Wincanton, DPD and John Lewis among the 20-strong cohort.

The likes of supermarket chain Sainsbury's, leasing and rental firm Fraikin, construction materials firm Cemex, wholesaler 3663 Transport and BT Fleet are also part of the long-gestating pilot, which is currently underway.

Coach and bus operators are on board too, and collectively the pilot is running with the equivalent of 100 O-licences and 6,000 vehicles taking part.

Other operators include Freightlink Europe, Simmonds Transport, F&R Cawley and Staples Bros.

They will all regularly share performance information with DVSA at part of the earned recognition scheme. In return, their vehicles are less likely to be stopped for inspections.

David Wells, FTA chief executive, said: “Earned recognition will support all compliant operators – not just those accredited – as it allows DVSA to focus its valuable roadside enforcement resource on those who represent a clear and immediate danger to all road users.

“While FTA members are well represented in the pilot cohort, many operators are hoping that being lifted out of targeted enforcement is just the first of many tangible benefits accredited operators in the future will be able to enjoy when the full scheme goes live.“

First mooted in 2015, earned recognition has struggled to gain traction among operators wary of sharing their data with DVSA.

In September last year with several target dates already missed, DVSA called once again for operators to take part in its remodelled pilot conceding it was still struggling to sign enough operators up.

Soon after the FTA called for the requirements of earned recognition to strike a balance between challenging those in the pilot and being realistic.

MT understands changes to the scheme and its interaction with OCRS have now been made. An announcement on the start of the full regime is expected to be made at this year's CV Show, which takes part from the 24 to 26 April.

DVSA is still accepting applications to join the pilot and those that apply by 28 February are promised extra support to get up and running.