Site Induction and Yard Rules Before You Reverse an HGV

What this covers

Site induction and yard rules before you move on a customer or depot site. Banksman signalling detail is a separate article.

What induction usually covers

• One-way systems, speed limits, pedestrian routes
• PPE (boots, vest, hard hat where required)
• Where to report, where to park, who controls the bay

Before the first reverse

• Confirm you are booked in and on the right door / bay
• Know whether a banksman is mandatory
• Know where pedestrians and FLT traffic run

If induction is missing or rushed

Ask. Do not invent the layout. A wave from the gatehouse is not a risk assessment. If the site will not brief you and the reverse looks unsafe, call your operator.

After a near-miss on site

Report to site and operator. Silent near-misses become the next driver’s accident.

Driver habit

Treat every new postcode as unfamiliar until induction says otherwise — even if you “did a similar site last week”.

What to remember

Every site has its own one-ways, PPE, and dock rules. Five minutes of induction beats a damaged door, a near-miss, or a banned registration.

Read the article through before you apply the rule on the road. Figures and exceptions change. If your operator’s procedure or a roadside check says something different from a web summary, follow the written procedure and official sources (DVSA, DVLA, GOV.UK, and the regulation that applies).

For “Site Induction and Yard Rules Before You Reverse an HGV”, keep the practical chain: check before you leave, record correctly on the tachograph or in documents, tell planning when something does not add up, and do not move the vehicle if you know it is illegal or unsafe.

If a colleague, customer or short message asks you to skip a check, ask for it in writing. Stopping on time and a call to the desk costs less than a penalty, a prohibition, or a collision.