HGV testing update

Yesterday FTA had the fifth weekly meeting with the Department for Transport (DfT) and Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), to discuss their plans to re-start HGV and PSV MOT testing.

After last week’s confirmation that Certificates of Temporary Exemption (CTE) will be issued for all vehicles requiring an MOT test in June and for those issued with a CTE in March, we were expecting confirmation of plans to re-start MOT testing this month. Unfortunately, this was not the case, but DfT and DVSA are hopeful to recommence MOT testing before the end of June (this is subject to ministerial approval).

However, DfT and DVSA did share their plans for how they intend to stagger the reintroduction of testing. CTEs will be issued to all vehicles requiring a MOT test in July and to those vehicles which were issued with a CTE in April, which will allow DVSA to start offering MOT tests in July, with an aim of continuing to cover CTEs month-by-month – essentially moving all MOT expiry dates by three months. Please see this table for how FTA expect this to work.

In preparation for the restart of MOT testing, DVSA will begin visits to Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs) from next week, to assess their plans to begin testing and to discuss the changes to their contract for offering MOT tests. DVSA has agreed to share their ATF “Site Compliance Check sheet” and revised Standard Operational Procedures (new guidance for their staff when testing) with FTA to share with member.

For next week’s meeting, FTA has asked to see DVSA’s MOT volumetric projections, to provide them with the assurance that is will be able to meet the demands of MOT testing for July onwards.