The Earned Recognition Scheme and How it Can Make Haulage Jobs Safer

News of the new DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) Earned Recognition Scheme is rapidly spreading within the industry and, with confidence in the scheme high, if you consider yourself a responsible vehicle operator it’s definitely worth getting involved.
What is it?

The scheme is a way to support and maintain a safe road transport industry. The DVSA, alongside enforcement agencies, has been targeting hazardous and irresponsible HGV drivers in order to limit the amount of accidents that occur. High-risk drivers, if caught out, may have their licences withdrawn, consequently making our roads safer for anyone out there doing haulage jobs.

The IT based system monitors your driving to check whether you’re meeting a prescribed set of KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). Every month the system reports back to the DVSA, and if any KPI’s have been missed, you are invited to work on what needs improving.

The Benefits

If you have a HGV and want to prove that you meet compliance standards, the ER scheme is a brilliant way to show you’re a safe and reliable operator. Plus, you will earn the creditable recognition marque, which you can use on your website.

The scheme is also extremely useful if you’re looking to gain new contracts, as it acts as an official sign that you have a higher level of compliance. Working closely with the DVSA also suggests that you, as a business, are committed to improving the standards of your drivers and vehicles; again firm evidence of a reputable company.

Not only this, but as an Earned Recognition operator you will be less likely to be stopped at the roadside for vehicle inspections, and also less likely to have enforcement staff from the DVSA visit your premises. This will save you both time and money in the long run, as your drivers will be able to carry out their haulage jobs and related work uninterrupted.

Are You Eligible?

To apply for Earned Recognition you must have held a licence for a HGV or PSV (Public Service Vehicle) for at least two years. In addition, you must not have had any regulatory action taken on any of your operator licences (besides a formal warning).

As well as this, you will only be eligible if you have digital management systems for both vehicle maintenance and drivers’ hours. This is so that KPIs can be tracked and monitored by the DVSA.

Extra Information

• There is no application fee • You can apply for recognition status at any time • You can monitor your own performance via the IT system • You will be alerted if you miss a KPI • You can leave the scheme at any time

Overall, the ER scheme is a great way to get your business noticed. By earning the recognition you will also be gaining the respect of traffic commissioners, regulators and fellow drivers. Not only that, but you will be helping to keep the roads free of high-risk drivers, and your haulage jobs will become quicker and safer.

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage jobs with available drivers. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.

8 Primal Steps for Planned Relocations!

It has been months since you are preparing for your forthcoming Pune to Coimbatore move. Of late, you even shortlisted a professional team of packers and movers in Pune and are on your way to check out some practical relocation information – the tips and tricks, moving advice, checklists, planners, and more because this time you cannot afford to see your belongings injured the way you received them when you last moved.
For your this moving apprehension, we have reserved for you some primary footsteps that can allow you to plan your house move a lot more mindfully, which in order would help you to relocate painlessly.

So, without further commotion, let’s find out which are those infallible steps that you should consider when moving:

• Pack things only when sure – Packing certain household items or at times, every item from the household is something that is there on our mind when we are preparing for a move but one should consider doing that only when one is fully sure and confident of doing it. Do not simply think of packing to be something where you pack only your choice of goods and leave the rest for the experts, if you are taking the responsibility for the task, you should give it all entirely and do it well. If you are not sure about it, let the professionals only take care of the project. • Mind out these tips to pack – It does not matter what you are packing – a set of glassware or your wooden showpiece, electronic items, or antiques, minding out the right packing process, and using the right packing materials are two most important things to take note of during the move. Prioritize protection – add bubble wraps, packing paper, and tissue paper to add protective cushioning to your goods, and use quality boxes that can offer the desired guard to your goods. Here is a valuable tip for you – consider hiring a moving cube rather than an open truck for the moving purpose so there are minimal chances of damage during the move. • Choose dedicated services – You would know that the breakable items in the household are better if handled by professionals. So, without thinking twice and stressing over it for no reason, make sure you choose specialized packing and moving services like specialty items moving services, artwork moving services, plant relocation services, etc. for your set of special goods like crockery, artwork, antiques, décor, accessories, plants, electronics, etc. With professional relocation services, handling these extraordinarily special items of distinctive value and worth becomes effortless and the experts ascertain the utmost safety of belongings during the move. • Work on your shopping habit – Owing to your upcoming move, you must keep a close tab on the things you buy. When you are at least a couple of months away from your moving day, you must stop spending money on random things and wants. Even if you are stable enough with your finances, you should carefully spend your money during the move because relocations are out-and-out expensive assignments and you would never know when an unplanned expense or surprising event comes across to bother you! We would also advise you to keep a significant amount of finances with you as security so you can conquer abrupt monetary shortfalls or surprising costs! • Revisit your moving checklist – Though you will have your moving checklist along when you are preparing your stuff but do a final look-through of the list right before the move to ensure you have got it all closed. Do not keep anything pending. Lastly, talk to the neighbors and the landlord if he is right there while you are fulfilling the final moving duties. Hand over the keys and ensure you are not leaving any debris of packing materials in or around the house that you discarded while packing. Ensure the moving binder is with you with the vital papers and proofs. • Label or color-code final boxes – None of the moving boxes should be without name labels. If you want to make it quick, use readymade labels available in the market that are waterproof and sturdy, or consider creating them on your own just the way you want to. Add useful information on the label like the nature of the item/items (if it is fragile), the destination room where the carton should be established, handling instructions, and other vital details if any. Do not make the name labels too clumsy. Add clear texts in readable fonts or if you are numbering the cartons, try using colored labels marked with numbers. • Know what to pack for the ride – Everyone tends to have their range of essential stuff that they prefer keeping along while on the move. All of these items should be prepared and packed or at least be kept near the moving bags or luggage so you do not miss out to pack them in the respective kits when you have time. Make sure you are carrying medicines, toiletries, clothing, food items, and children’s stuff – their clothes, comforters, toys, etc. Take proper care of your food and water intake when you are on the go so your health remains sound and you do not feel down after all the moving toil. • Plan things for the moving day – Never think that the moving day would be free of a hassle because it would not. Even if you have got the professionals aboard, everything ready and prepared, there will be a set of things that you will be required to close at the last minute itself. For that, you must ensure that the night before the move, you make all the arrangements before time and keep the necessities you will need the next morning handy. Keep even the outfits ready that you and each of your family members would be wearing for the move.

Therefore, this was everything that we wanted you to know about planning successful relocations. Do follow them for your move and discuss with your professional moving team – the packers and movers in Pune what more you can do to make your relocation worth it!

How Chatbot Can Improve Organization Efficiency

A chatbot is a computer program that simulates human conversation through voice commands or text chats or both. Chatbot, short for chatterbot, is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) feature that can be embedded and used through any major messaging applications. There are a number of synonyms for chatbot, including “talkbot,” “bot,” “IM bot,” “interactive agent” or “artificial conversation entity.”

Understanding Chatbot

The progressive advance of technology has seen an increase in businesses moving from traditional to digital platforms to transact with consumers. Convenience through technology is being carried out by businesses by implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques on their digital platforms. One AI technique that is growing in its application and use is chatbots. Some examples of chatbot technology are virtual assistants like Collect.chat.

A chatbot is an automated program that interacts with customers like a human would and cost little to nothing to engage with. Chatbots attend to customers at all times of the day and week and are not limited by time or a physical location. This makes its implementation appealing to a lot of businesses that may not have the manpower or financial resources to keep employees working around the clock.

A chatbot works in a couple of ways: set guidelines and machine learning. A chatbot that functions with a set of guidelines in place is limited in its conversation. It can only respond to a set number of requests and vocabulary and is only as intelligent as its programming code. An example of a limited bot is an automated banking bot that asks the caller some questions to understand what the caller wants to be done. The bot would make a command like “Please tell me what I can do for you by saying account balances, account transfer, or bill payment.” If the customer responds with “credit card balance,” the bot would not understand the request and would proceed to either repeat the command or transfer the caller to a human assistant.

How Chatbots Function

A chatbot that functions through machine learning has an artificial neural network inspired by the neural nodes of the human brain. The bot is programmed to self-learn as it is introduced to new dialogues and words. In effect, as a chatbot receives new voice or textual dialogues, the number of inquiries that it can reply and the accuracy of each response it gives increases.

Chatbots are used in a variety of sectors and built for different purposes. There are retail bots designed to pick and order groceries, weather bots that give you weather forecasts of the day or week, and simply friendly bots that just talk to people in need of a friend.