DEFRA approves a list of Digital Waste Tracking (DWT) providers, and they are not all the same. Because compliance is mediated by software, your provider is effectively your route to compliance, so it is worth choosing carefully. Here is what to check.
Has it passed DEFRA's testing?
This is the big one. DEFRA runs a provider approval test, and if a provider cannot or will not integrate, you cannot comply through that route. Ask any provider plainly where they stand on DEFRA testing.
Does it truly integrate, with no double entry?
The preferred route auto-sends the record and returns a tracking ID. Be wary of anything that simply re-creates the spreadsheet by hand, because that is the slow route dressed up.
Is it more than a filing tool?
DWT sits inside your wider duty of care: carrier licences, vehicle compliance, a clean audit trail. A provider that covers those saves you stitching several tools together.
Is it easy for the people who do the work?
The weighbridge operative and the driver need something fast and simple. If a tool adds clicks to a busy gate, it will not get used properly, and a record that does not get made is a compliance gap.
Is the pricing fair, and is compliance itself gated?
Filing to DEFRA is a legal duty. Be cautious of any provider that charges extra for the submission itself, or locks basic compliance behind a high tier.
Where LoadSnap fits
LoadSnap has passed DEFRA's testing, integrates so the record files itself, covers licences and fleet compliance as well as filing, is built to be quick at the gate, and includes DEFRA submission on every plan including free. You can judge it for yourself at app.loadsnap.co.uk.