2017 | Smith Bowyer Clarke

Expert team of Barristers and Solicitors with years of experience in providing advice and representation in Road Transport Law.

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How Much Do You Trust Your Maintenance Provider?

In order to obtain an Operator’s Licence, applicants confirm that records of maintenance and repairs will be kept for 15 months. It is therefore of no surprise that a significant number of operators routinely file away their PMI reports, so as to comply with this requirement, without any form of […]

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Smoking in Trucks: What the Law Says

  HGV operators face fixed penalties for failing to stamp down on smoking. The law on smoking in commercial vehicles is very detailed, yet surprisingly poorly understood. We take a quick look at 3 of the main smoking-related criminal offences that all operators and drivers must be aware of:   […]

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How Safe is the Food in your Fridge?

  Guest Article:  By Rob Hardy, Operations Director and BREXIT Consultant at Oakland Invicta Ltd https://www.contaminatedload.com/, 44 (0)7487 256 543       The Calais migrant situation started 20 years ago. It reached its peak in 2016 when there were around 10,000 migrants at the infamous Calais Jungle.  The shanty town has gone but the risk […]

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5 Entirely Avoidable Mistakes Made by Too Many HGV Operators

  We take a quick look at 5 of the most common, but entirely avoidable, mistakes made by far too many HGV operators. This list has been compiled by the transport lawyers at specialist road transport law firm Smith Bowyer Clarke:   1. Trusting Your Drivers Too Much In a […]

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AdBlue Cheats Face Loss of Operator’s Licence

What is Adblue? You may well have seen containers of Adblue at service stations and wondered what they were for. When a diesel engine burns diesel, a number of polluting compounds and chemicals are emitted out of the exhaust pipe and into the atmosphere. Nitrogen Oxide and Nitrogen Dioxide are […]

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The Dangers of Not Carrying Out Regular Driver Licence Checks

Be honest – how often do you check the licences of your drivers for any endorsements? Once every 6 months? Once a year? Never?   Whether you are a goods or PSV operator, if the answer to any of the above is “yes”, you are running a very big risk. […]

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The Risks of Running a Restricted Operator’s Licence – How to Preserve your Licence and Protect your Business

You might think Restricted Licences are pretty cool: They allow you to operate with half the financial standing of a Standard National Licence and you are not put to the expense and bother of employing a Transport Manager. What’s not to like?   Actually, quite a lot. The Traffic Commissioner […]

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School Minibuses & Section 19 Permits – Am I Legal?

  Operating school minibuses under a Section 19 Permit can be a heavy responsibility. Unless you have a background in the transport industry, it is unlikely that you will have much experience in navigating the often complex legal regulations that govern the operation of school minibuses. When the safety of […]

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What Type of PSV Licence do I Need?

  Every year hundreds of Public Service Vehicle (PSV) operators are called to Public Inquiry with the Traffic Commissioner. A great many of these relate to the improper use of a restricted operator’s licence. An operator running PSVs under an incorrect licence can quickly find that licence revoked. It is […]

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HGV Driver Caught Speeding? – 5 Things You Need to Know

Every driver knows that exceeding the speed limit is a criminal offence which can lead to penalty points, a fine and a driving ban. For truck drivers however, the position is even more serious. If you are caught speeding and hold an HGV drivers’ licence you can expect to face […]

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