First port to earn new UK government standard

(Posted on 30/11/20)

AV Dawson’s Port of Middlesbrough is the first port in Great Britain to achieve the government’s Earned Recognition status.

Located on the River Tees in North East England, AV Dawson’s Port of Middlesbrough provides a full freight logistics service across a number of sectors including energy and renewables, construction, agriculture, automotive and waste.

Earned recognition was introduced in 2018 as a new scheme to recognise transport operators who can demonstrate a strong track record of compliance and adherence to standards.

Earned Recognition, which was introduced by the government’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been awarded to 127 companies across the UK including DHL, BT, DPD and Wincanton, however AV Dawson’s Port of Middlesbrough is the first port in the country to gain this status.

Earned Recognition operators must be able to demonstrate that they have robust systems and processes that promote effective and proactive transport management. The scheme allows the DVSA to remotely monitor operators’ compliance systems and audits can be carried out to provide assurance and confidence that operators are effectively managing transport operations and functioning in a compliant manner. This in turn reduces the amount of roadside checks and visits from enforcement officers, reducing administrative burdens for companies achieving a high level of compliance.

Peter Athey AV Dawson’s compliance manager said: “We have worked hard over the past three years on implementing culture change across the business and identifying the need to educate and invest in our drivers so they have a full understanding of the law.

“We have achieved this through continuous positive feedback, teamwork and development to ensure drivers are meeting and exceeding the desired legal requirements.

“Along with continued investment in our people we have also invested in compliance systems for our maintenance department. This ensures any improvements or maintenance of our fleet exceed Earned Recognition standards, ensuring the safety of our workforce and the general public.

“Our compliance team and our wider workforce have worked really hard to achieve this status and we are committed to not only adhering to the standards set by the DVSA but also exceeding them and going above and beyond expectations. The status cements our status as one of the leading port and transport operators in the North of England and will open up further contractual opportunities for our business.”

To help achieve the status Port of Middlesbrough worked closely with Tees Valley based transport consultants Logico.

Stephen Gosnay, Logico’s commercial director said, “It was great to work with AV Dawson on achieving this prestigious status. The team were fantastic to deal with and you can see they run a solid transport operation taking compliance very seriously. We are extremely proud to work with all of our clients nationwide, but its extra special when they are on your home turf in the North East.”

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