Driver Require, Kieran Smith’s specialist driver recruitment agency, made history last week. The Stevenage-based outfit became the first agency in the country to achieve three specific qualifications.
The first two of these qualifications, achieving a Logistics UK Driver Agency Excellence award and being a signed FCSA Supply Chain Partner, were already in the bag. And last week saw the company complete their historic hat trick by becoming REC Audited.
This latest qualification is considered the ‘gold standard’ in recruitment compliance. It is the most comprehensive regulatory audit of its kind, covering compliance as well as the REC Code of Professional Practice. It attests that Driver Require is fully conversant and compliant with the recruitment agency Conduct Regulations, Agency Worker Regulations (AWR), and the Matthew Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices.
The achievement of the qualification comes after a deliberate strategy to achieve accreditation of best practice and compliance across all aspects of their business, taking into account recruitment, payroll and specialist haulage sector compliance factors.
Reflecting on the achievement, CEO Kieran Smith said, ‘We’ve always prided ourselves on operating transparently and above the line, but we wanted the qualifications and third-party accreditations to offer proof that we are true to our values and deliver real compliance.’
He went on to state that the focus on compliance within the haulage sector is increasing, as a result of both Brexit and the Covid pandemic. He expects the next few months to see a levelling of the playing field, with greater pressures on margins across the sector.
Smith predicts that this commercial stress on hauliers and suppliers will, unfortunately, mean non-compliance could proliferate as companies resort to illicit practices to maintain margins:
‘Compliant, ethical hauliers are most exposed. We’ve already started to see a growing demand not only for suppliers offering the best value for money but for suppliers with a reputation for honest, above-board practices, along with quality assurance through both accredited compliance and operational excellence.
‘Unfortunately, we’re working in a market where it’s all too easy to say the right things but not follow through. We want to lead by example and provide reassurance that when our haulage partners choose Driver Require, they know they’re getting a partner invested in ethical, gold-standard compliance.
‘My hope is that we can set a precedent and expectation for ethical and transparent operations across the sector, especially as we brace ourselves for the imminent changes we’ll face in the next few months.’
