Following a recent audit of the roadworthiness of our vehicles and drivers’ safety practices, the RSA ranked ATC in the 98th percentile on its risk prevention rating. The score means that ATC’s risk of an incident is 98% lower than industry peers. The score is based on our vehicle maintenance regime, approach to the management of our fleet, and enabled by the dedication of our fleet management team.
ATC’s fleet is a crucial differentiator for us and a critical element in achieving and exceeding our customers’ expectations. As an asset-based company, we can get the right people with the right equipment where they are needed to support our clients.
Because we are in complete control of the maintenance programme, we can uphold our team and clients’ promise of safety and service quality. We have always been confident in our systems, and they are already externally accredited by the FTA Truck Safe programme. This ranking by the RSA gives us an official benchmark. It validates that our operations, assets and people are industry-leading which we are incredibly proud to report.
What is the RSA Risk Rating?
The RSA are the Road Safety Authority and are responsible for ensuring that any motorised vehicles operating on the road network adhere to safety standards as defined by the law. For heavier commercial vehicles (HGVs), the RSA has implemented a risk rating system called the CVORI (Commercial Vehicle Operator Risk Indicator). This rating system aims to improve the safety of the commercial vehicles on our roads, ensuring that the journeys are safe for our drivers and all road users.
How is the Assessment Conducted?
The RSA analysed three years worth of data under two key risk factors: roadworthiness and drivers’ working hours.
Roadworthiness relates to the physical condition of the vehicle. According to the RSA, a well-maintained vehicle:
- Is more reliable
- Is cheaper to run, providing a more sustainable service
- Helps to reduce the significant expenses caused by vehicle breakdowns and accidents
- Enables you to deliver a reliable service to your customers
But it’s not just about the vehicle and cost reductions over time. The safety of our drivers and clients’ equipment is of paramount importance to us, and for that reason, we have always had a policy of proactively and continuous maintenance, which ultimately;
- Improves the working environment for our drivers and their safety
- Increases the safety of other road users and
- Ensures our vehicles meet and exceed the minimum standards defined by the law
Drivers’ working hours is the second item reviewed in this audit assessing our;
- Drivers’ compliance with prescribed driving times, ensuring that rests periods are adhered to under European Directives.
- Drivers’ equipment is in working order, and that they understand how to record their vehicle checks and rest periods correctly.
Our view is that all accidents are preventable. We empower our team to follow the highest safety standards to achieve our goal of no accidents.
Maintaining Our High Standards:
To ensure that our vehicles are up to the task, we follow these measures as outlined by the RSA;
- Planned routine maintenance
- Daily and weekly vehicle checks
- We also have a system for reporting, rectifying and recording any faults that occur.
Adhering to European Level Compliance
As we are a “Proudly European” company, it is vital that these standards must be applied Europe-wide. The RSA is Ireland’s competent authority for road safety. It is joined in that task by sister agencies like DFSA (previously VOSA) in the United Kingdom and BALM (previously BAG) in Germany.
We are very proud of our work; our vehicles and drivers achieve industry-leading levels of safety as they support our clients every day across the EU/UK/EEA.
Patricia and the Fleet team.
