The BVRLA has taken part in a review of Heavy Vehicle Testing to determine whether current roadworthiness testing is fit for purpose, and to provide evidence as to whether it supports or hinders the effective operation of the haulage and logistics industries.
The review, led by the Department for Transport, was commissioned by the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps following discussions with stakeholders regarding potential improvements to the vehicle testing regime.
Views raised during passage of the Business and Planning Act 2020 made it clear that there was appetite for a review of the existing heavy vehicle testing system.
A draft report, which is currently awaiting sign-off, will give an overview of the performance of the testing system in respect of the following four key considerations:
- Performance during the two-year period prior to February 2020
- Performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and the restart of testing
- Relationships within the testing system
- Data collection and key performance measures within the testing system.
Recommendations coming out of the report include many that were recommended by the BVRLA during the review:
- Continued service improvement – Looking at potential longer test intervals and ensuring a programme of continued improvement is implemented.
- ATF scheduling and moratorium – The current moratorium on new ATFs should be reviewed in more detail and proposals for change should be developed for review in April 2021. It is noted that this may have impacts on required tester numbers.
- Booking of Tests – Further work needs to be done on how easy it is for operators to book at ATFs. Work should consider the potential for greater transparency in the booking system.
- Vehicle testing performance measures – Other options should be explored for measuring success apart from those used currently such as test cancellations.
- Tester Capacity – An increase of tester capacity should be considered to enable testing facilities to compete more effectively and operators to have more flexibility around appointments.
Commenting on the review, BVRLA Chief Executive Gerry Keaney said; “We welcome the publication of the review and look forward to working with Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency on implementation of the recommendations.”
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