The Department for Transport has issued some best practice guidance to help mitigate the threat of commercial vehicles being used as a weapon.
The Countering vehicle as a weapon: best practice guidance for goods vehicle operators and drivers sets out simple steps that vehicle operators should take to promote a good security culture in their organisation to help keep drivers, sites and vehicles safe.
The guidance is aimed at drivers and operators of commercial vehicles designed to carry goods or materials, from small vans to large lorries, and covers the following:
- Security culture – including pre-employment checks for staff and drivers
- Site security – including vehicle access and operating centres
- Vehicle security – including checking vehicles and what to do if a vehicle is taken
The guidance also contains a top 10 list of actions for commercial vehicle drivers and outlines the importance of having a security plan which:
- Allocates security responsibility to a staff member with appropriate authority to make security decisions and implement them
- Assesses risks posed by your vehicle operations including working with key partners and the insider threat
- Identifies possible solutions that will prevent a vehicle being used in an attack and
- Uses the following five-step model to ensure good vehicle security management
- Assess risks
- Examine solutions
- Compare alternatives
- Implement decisions
- Monitor results
The BVRLA has been instrumental in leading the vehicle rental sector’s response to the threat of vehicles being used as a weapon in acts of terror. Read more about the BVRLA’s activities to combat vehicle terrorism here.
