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With fewer than half of operators registered to receive OCRS data, does the system need a clearer explanation? Lucy Wood and Anton Balkitis report
The Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS) scheme was introduced to reduce the burden on compliant operators and to direct VOSAs limited resources against non-compliant operators. Most would agree in principle that a system that indicates the likelihood of an operator's compliance is a good idea, but is the OCRS reliable or does it have flaws?
Most operators are aware of the concept but it is surprising that years after implementation only 46% are registered to receive their scores, according to VOSA. The majority of those signed up are larger operators. The purpose of the OCRS is to calculate the likelihood of an operator being non-compliant The data is available to vehicle and traffic examiners via a mobile compliance device (MCD) that is linked to the central server via GPRS.
The score is split in two: the roadworthiness score is based on the condition of the vehicles and a traffic enforcement score relates to non-mechanical infringements such as drivers' hours or overloading. It is updated on a weeklybasis and is displayed to the VOSA examiner and the operator as a colour code (red, amber or green) with a relative score figure (eg RIO, A06. GOO).
It must...