What is OCRS and why is it important to every LGV driver ?

[dieseldave]

What is O.C.R.S and how could it affect every LGV driver ?

OCRS stands for Operator Compliance Risk Score.
OCRS is an initiative by VOSA to target operators/vehicles which are unlikely to be compliant with the laws that VOSA enforce. The OCRS system works by using a traffic light (Red, Amber or Green) colour rating system to target their enforcement activities towards non-compliant trucks.

To put it quite simply, if your company has a ‘red’ rating, then you’re far more likely to be targeted for a stop check, since VOSA know from historical evidence that you’re not likely to be compliant. On the other hand, if your company has a green rating, VOSA have historical evidence that you’re very likely to be compliant, so you probably won’t be targeted for a check.

Info on the OCRS system from VOSA

VOSA:
Description
OCRS is a mechanism used to calculate the likelihood of an operator being non compliant.
The OCRS operates through a mobile compliance Device (MCD) that is linked to the central server via GPRS.

The quote above and a lot more ‘horse’s mouth’ info is in a VOSA .pdf document downloadable :arrow: HERE

The Freight Transport Association (FTA):
The Operator Compliance Risk Score system (OCRS) has been developed by by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) as a way of assigning goods and passenger vehicle operators a rating that allows enforcement officers to identify which vehicles are most likely to be non-compliant.

The system which is used at the roadside flags operators as having a green, amber or red status, with those that are green most likely to be compliant and those that are red least likely. Generally an operator with a red score is more likely to be checked.

An operator’s status depends on a roadworthiness score and a traffic enforcement score. These scores are calculated from data collated at previous events or tests. Or in the case of new operators, predictive scores are used.

:arrow: FTA source material

The Road Haulage Association (RHA):
VOSA devised its Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS) system as a tool to help target its enforcement efforts. It is as yet a basic, rough-and-ready tool; nonetheless the RHA supports its use as an internal VOSA information aid and is engaging with VOSA over its development.

:arrow: RHA source material

My own take on this is to imagine that OCRS is a rating system designed to improve road safety by making life very difficult for the ‘chancers’ in our industry in such a way that it leaves out the legitimate operators and drivers from the mix. In days gone by, we all wondered why it was that we got inconvenienced by being pulled into a net en-masse. It was simply because that’s the way it had to be done in order to catch the uncompliant. Remember how we would sit there for ages only to be told that there was nothing wrong when they finally got around to us? Was it fair that this was whilst known ‘baddies’ could simply drive past just because the stopping area was full? Now, due to OCRS and advances in recognition technology, VOSA’s net can catch just those vehicles which are of interest to them. There’ll be plenty of room in the stopping area to pull in the ‘baddies’ now, because the compliant will simply be driving on by…

I’ve long been of the opinion that the business of operating trucks is a team effort. IMHO, it stands to sense that a group of employed drivers isn’t much good without supervisors, planners, maintenance staff and TMs. Equally, those are no good without a team of good drivers. OCRS is all about legality so drivers, supervisors, planners, maintenance staff and TMs all working together will achieve a ‘green’ rating under the OCRS system.

Let’s imagine a scenario. The drivers either don’t know how, or can’t be bothered, to do their daily walk-around checks properly; so the problems aren’t reported, therefore they don’t get fixed, and as surely as night follows day, the firm will come to VOSA’s attention and the rating will turn to ‘red.’ Now the drivers are getting stop checked more frequently and there’s a flurry of PG9s. Depending on the circumstances, a PG9 prohibition can seriously ruin a driver’s day, not to mention the effect on the boss’ operator’s licence. Just think; you’re on your way back to base after having been tramping all week, then all of a sudden, late on a Friday afternoon, you get stop-checked and issued with a PG9 ‘instant’ prohibition. You might have had a plan for that Friday evening, but now you’re parked up and waiting for a fitter to deal with the problem. Then you need to get the PG9 ‘lifted,’ so that you can continue your journey. How would you react if there wasn’t a VOSA person available until the Saturday morning, knowing that driving in contavention of a PG9 might be enough to get you into very serious trouble, which then needs explaining to the Magistrates?

Then the firm comes up for the routine five-yearly review with the Traffic Commissioner (TC.) Not all drivers realise this, but the TC has the power to suspend, revoke or curtail an operator’s licence. If the TC does a review and decides to curtail your boss’ operator’s licence, it might just be your and some of your mates’ jobs that disappear…

OCRS training for drivers actually makes sense, and the smarter training providers will be able to offer OCRS training. The instructor will be thoroughly familiar with the OCRS system, and with just a few hours training for the office staff and drivers, you and your firm could be far less likely to be targeted by VOSA. Even agencies would be well advised to get their drivers trained to understand the OCRS system, because the drivers are then far more ‘marketable,’ leading to more and better work from the ‘better’ operators. The others who couldn’t be bothered will probably be sitting in lay-bys contemplating PG9s, the meaning of life and wondering how it all went wrong. A select few will know the answer to that as they drive by without having been stopped.

Now we understand the objective and purpose of OCRS, I’d say it looks like a good idea and that credit is due to VOSA for having been so open about it and publishing the info into the public domain. I think it’s a bit like making the people who cause accidents actually pay a lot more for their insurance, whilst leaving the careful drivers with lower premiums, but what do you think of it all?

[david_h]

Shame it doesn’t also apply to MSA showers.

[truckermarcus]

two southern irish firms should be on the red light straight away!!

[dafmad]

So, do I have to learn how to use the steps getting in and out of truck ?

[mikewhi]

Think they have had this for a while. I got stopped at a roadside check about 9 months ago and was told i wouldn’t be long as we were a green operator.

[rog]

DAFMAD:
So, do I have to learn how to use the steps getting in and out of truck ?

i’m sure some-one will give you a ‘LEG UP’ on how to

[dieseldave]

mikewhi:
Think they have had this for a while. I got stopped at a roadside check about 9 months ago and was told i wouldn’t be long as we were a green operator.

Hi mikewhi, You’re probably right mate.

I noticed that OCRS had come up in another topic, and decided to research it.
I found some very interesting stuff that might help us understand the OCRS system.
It looks like OCRS is here to stay, so I just put a post together to bring it to everybody’s attention and start a discussion.

Forewarned is forearmed as they say.

[swraith]

DAFMAD:
So, do I have to learn how to use the steps getting in and out of truck ?

I’d love to see you getting in a truck without using the step… Unless ofcourse your in a puddle jumper. An artic would be impossible, even for me with 34" inside leg

EDIT: Thanks for this dd, though I’m still as confused as ever

nothing new there then.

[lee_g]

SWraith:

DAFMAD:
So, do I have to learn how to use the steps getting in and out of truck ?

I’d love to see you getting in a truck without using the step… Unless ofcourse your in a puddle jumper. An artic would be impossible, even for me with 34" inside leg

EDIT: Thanks for this dd, though I’m still as confused as ever

nothing new there then.

getting out without using the steps is easy, you just fall out but getting in’s abit more difficult!

[dieseldave]

SWraith:

DAFMAD:
So, do I have to learn how to use the steps getting in and out of truck ?

I’d love to see you getting in a truck without using the step… Unless ofcourse your in a puddle jumper. An artic would be impossible, even for me with 34" inside leg

EDIT: Thanks for this dd, though I’m still as confused as ever

Hi SWraith, no need for any confusion mate, just click the VOSA link and all the info you need is right there on a plate.

This question isn’t aimed at you specifically, but c’mon guys what’s with the ‘step’ fetish??
Just read the links, and you’ll find no mention of ‘steps,’ but you might save yourself from some roadside grief.

[dafmad]

SWraith:

DAFMAD:
So, do I have to learn how to use the steps getting in and out of truck ?

I’d love to see you getting in a truck without using the step… Unless ofcourse your in a puddle jumper. An artic would be impossible, even for me with 34" inside leg

Stems from a different thread.

[dieseldave]

DAFMAD:
Stems from a different thread.

Hi DAFMAD, thanks for that mate, I’d begun to doubt myself a bit there.

[johnpirate]

Looking at that the firm I work for will be on the red list very soon. The vehicles are less than two years old but the drivers are close if not over the hours every week.And all you get is an infringment letter to sign .Because he thinks that covers him.

[dafmad]

dieseldave:

DAFMAD:
Stems from a different thread.

Hi DAFMAD, thanks for that mate, I’d begun to doubt myself a bit there.

Sorry my little joke, sort of. Link to thread Here scroll to bottom of first page.

[dieseldave]

DAFMAD:

dieseldave:

DAFMAD:
Stems from a different thread.

Hi DAFMAD, thanks for that mate, I’d begun to doubt myself a bit there.

Sorry my little joke, sort of. Link to thread Here scroll to bottom of first page.

Thanks again DAFMAD.

I was a bit slow, having also posted on that topic myself.

[kenny1975]

I agree with it in someways, but think it has major failings if its the way they do the majority of enforcement.

Heard of it with other government agency doing similar type things, which basically gave a green light for people who flew under the radar to do criminal stuff.

Ive worked with a few “dodgy” companies who got their act together, never ran bent for them and they kept their vehicles in good working order, for two reason they didnt want the hassle of a PG9 and didnt want the cost and hassle of a breakdown due to poor maintenance. Working for them i’d avoid checkpoints if possible if i knew they were open, not because i had anything to hide but knew i’d get pulled in and didnt want to spend an hour sitting about.

Worked as agency driver and worked full time for large national and international companies who would be classed as green light. Driven many miles past loads of check points never once pulled in, closest i got was having to go into the check point at Stirling and they told me just go back out.

With the larger companies seen loads of drivers abuse the drivers hours, either working full time then doing agency shifts on top of that for other large companies knowing fine well little chance of getting pulled. Or agency drivers again not bothering with drivers hours because know if they are out with a big company little chance of getting pulled, espec when things are quiet and the work always comes in at once like the weekends when others dont want to work, end up doing a dayshift then a night shift back to back.

Same with maintenance, a lot of these large companies in theory have really good maintenance, so perception is they are a decent legal company. But when you get drivers using different trailers every night, different units every night, a lot don’t bother checking because assume because fleet newish its prob fine and someone else would have checked before no doubt.

Worked for one very large company, saw a tyre fitter come in go mental at the office staff, he had been out fixing a blow out, tyre was worn down past the tread down to the canvas, he checked the other tyres none had the legal tread depth and another tyre was also down to the canvas, this was on a trailer.

I just think in someways about meeting targets, yeah in some sense in targetting known offenders, will get results its not a bad thing. But on the other hand should be lots of checks of random trucks, but then again harder to meet your targets, but then again if you only get one offender out a whole bunch its worth if they are driving a death trap or not bothered with proper breaks.

[haulier]

Back in april this year i was stopped by vosa at Preston, the car that stopped me was fitted with a device similar to the anpr system and i flagged up as a red. They did the obligatory weight check as i was loaded at the time, then the vosa guy parked me in the vehicle checking bays, he gave me a compliment on how clean my truck and trailer was but was also suprised as to why the system flagged me.
He asked had i had a recent PG9, i told him last 1 was over 6 years ago for a defective speed limiter!! He then asked about my annual pass rate, told him my truck has passed 1st time for the last 6 years, but my trailer failed on it’s 1st test 2 years ago due to a sticking valve that was whisping air slightly. He then asked when did vosa last give me an on site visit, told him that was 9 years ago. His records showed my truck had been tested 2 weeks prior, so he was happy with that and after a check over on my trailer and check on my tacho cards he issued me with a clean bill of health and said that should help bring my rating down.
Now my point is this as the vosa guy pointed out, if your operating below the radar and going about your business and haven’t had an on-site visit for sometime or received any road side checks or prohibitions then the system slowly moves you up the traffic light system, so it’s not just the cowboys that could come up red it could happen to anyone as in my case.
I don’t believe in corner cutting when it comes to maintainence or tyres as i don’t want to be broken down at the side of the road, my truck only earns money when the wheels are turning. I pass switch island most days and the Stafford check points with no fears at all, i know they seem to be targeting more foreign vehicles than UK 1’s unless they are carrying hazardous but as with what happened to me at Preston you never know.

[dieseldave]

haulier:
Now my point is this as the vosa guy pointed out, if your operating below the radar and going about your business and haven’t had an on-site visit for sometime or received any road side checks or prohibitions then the system slowly moves you up the traffic light system, so it’s not just the cowboys that could come up red it could happen to anyone as in my case.

Hi haulier, I’d guess that’s why the RHA is “engaging” with VOSA to fine tune the system.

I’d also guess that, like any other system, it’s not perfect.
Let’s hope that VOSA will listen to the RHA’s input, and that it will lead to ALL of the innocents being allowed to continue their journey uninterrupted.

[wheel_nut]

Apart from my earlier discussions with the guy from Alert. I think the OCRS scheme is very similar to financial credit scoring.

If you dont owe any money, you will probably struggle to borrow any, where if you are already known as a heavy borrower, the lenders have something to judge you against.

So an operator with no or low scores will be like a chav trying to sell something on ebay without any feedback.

What is needed is the old case of more eyes and ears on the street in police cars

[reef]

Its not just the dodgy firms that fall foul of this traffic light system either.

The last firm i worked for were pretty much top notch on the legal running side and had been green light for as long as they’d been in business but due to 3 GV9’s(think thats what the codes were though i could be wrong) in a couple of weeks of each other we went directly to red light status

1 was for no marker lights down one side of the trailer and it hadn’t even been noted on the drivers defect sheet (not that the trailer should have left the yard)
1 was for no number plate on trailer
1 was for excessive crap in the windscreen (name plates flags cuddly [zb]ing toys you name it… a couple of the boys had the lot even them chrome sitting women on springs )

So the fact that the firm hadn’t done anything wrong other than employ some lazy cabtarts that never do their daily vehicle checks the whole firm is under close scrutiny for the next 3 years i believe it is