About Rob Richards,
Independent HGV Auditor
I'm Rob Richards, the founder and lead auditor at UK Fleet Audit.
I've spent over 18 years working inside UK food and FMCG transport — starting as a warehouse operative and working my way up to Transport Manager. That journey has taken me through Hovis, Allied Bakeries (Kingsmill), and Tesco, including running transport compliance at Tesco's Dagenham chilled distribution site — one of Europe's largest, completing around 300 delivery runs a day to over 500 stores.
Along the way I've been the DVSA Earned Recognition site champion, led health & safety investigations and risk assessments, and built and trained teams to operate to the highest compliance standards under real commercial pressure — not in theory, but on the warehouse floor and on the road.
I hold the Transport Manager CPC qualification and I'm a qualified HGV driver. I still drive today, alongside running UK Fleet Audit, which means every audit I carry out is grounded in what's actually happening in cabs, yards, and depots right now — not just what's written in a policy document.
Why I started UK Fleet Audit
Having sat on the operator's side of the table for most of my career — dealing with DVSA, Traffic Commissioners, and the day-to-day reality of keeping a fleet compliant — I know how stressful an unexpected compliance check or Traffic Commissioner letter can be, and how easy it is for small but serious gaps to go unnoticed until it's too late.
UK Fleet Audit exists to give operators an honest, independent picture of exactly where they stand — before DVSA finds out for you.
Independent, by design
UK Fleet Audit has no ties to any operator, fleet, maintenance provider, or training company. That independence means every audit is a genuine, unbiased assessment of your compliance position — not a sales opportunity dressed up as an audit.
Credentials
-
Transport Manager CPC
-
ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor
-
HGV Class 1 licence holder (active driver)
-
Former DVSA Earned Recognition site champion, Tesco Dagenham