Err..........they may only hold a licence for automatics? In other respects, I'm curious Sharon. What sort of assessment is expected, and why?

Other than the obvious licence issue, you may find some staff just like automatic cars. Now that then is up to your company to decide if they want to pay the extra cost involved in the lease/purchase and running cost of these vehicles. But if the driver is disadvantaged by having a manual over an automatic car due to a physical disability then you are on very sticky ground. I am surprised your H.R department is not involved in this; as the D.D.A. will come into play and a decision as to the involve O.H. or the persons G.P. will require a written consent form for any information to be disclosed to your company. I know as I have been down this route with the company I currently work for. I would defiantly talk to your company H.R. department and legal team before you get too far into this project.

DDA now superseded by the Equalities Act.

A question to wizzpete and others: I have long thought that whilst the published fuel consumption for autos is higher than for the manual version, day to day use of the auto-box car is more likely to promote a smoother relaxed driving style, resulting in a more fuel-efficient drive, probably translating in to spending less at the pumps. Does anybody have any hard evidence to support that view?

I've been out the haulage (sorry, logistsics) industry for a few years now, so can't place anything defiinate. What the big chains figured is that whilst, in isolation, a manual gearbox truck was better in terms of mpg than an auto (a fact backed up my manufacturers' own figures) when you factor in inexperienced or different driver 'types' fuel economy figures varied greatly. Introducing Automatic gearboxes levelled the playing the field, meaning that whilst a good driver of a manual would out perform an auto-truck every time, the worst driver in an auto would out perform even an average manual driver. With a heavy reliance on Agency Drivers, this gave them a better overall fuel return and as this was the second biggest running cost (behind wages) it did offer savings over the long term. I do rememeber reviewing internal fuel performance figures which backed this up but clearly can't access them anymore. The Road Haulage Asscociation may be able to point people in the right direction.