Fleets and leasing companies are collectively expected to save an estimated £6.5 million – and motorists £54 million – as a result of the Government cutting red tape.
The Government’s commitment to cutting unnecessary rules and regulations as a result of establishing the Red Tape Challenge in 2011 will see:
• By 2015, fleet companies able to request electronic vehicle registration documents when they need them, removing the administrative burden of needing to store paper copies of the V5C, saving an estimated £3 million per year and affecting over two million fleet vehicles.
• The DVLA abolishing the tax disc by October 2014, which could save at least a further £3.5 million per year.
They are among a raft of red tape cutting measures announced by the Department for Transport that will deliver savings totalling £54 million to all motorists and also include the abolition of the paper counterpart to driving licences from October this year.
In addition, the Department has announced:
• A guide for professional drivers will be developed to increase clarity and understanding on drivers’ hours and working time rules, particularly about when a driver needs to take a break.
• The frequency with which digital drivers’ hours records must be downloaded from tachographs will be relaxed, a change which benefits drivers on long international tours.