It is right that operators should be set high safety standards, and be brought to book when they fail to meet them. It goes to the heart of road safety and fair competition.
Therefore, publication of the revised, and generally improved, versions of the DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness and the PSV Inspection Manual should be welcomed.
It was no co-incidence that the former was launched on the same day as the DVSA’s Earned Recognition scheme moved from its pilot to full status.
The stronger focus on enforcement of the ‘rogues ‘who cut flagrantly corners to enable them to undercut decent operators is welcomed by the industry.
What is not welcomed is the growing crisis within DVSA to deliver the testing regime that operators pay for – and those running Authorised Testing Facilities who have made massive investment in them – deserve.
The crisis – and let’s be clear it is a crisis – has been brewing for some time.
Simply put, the DVSA does not have enough testers. Worse, due to Strict Civil Service pay rates, jobs are unattractive when in some parts of the country almost double the money can easily be earned by mechanics in the private sector.
Make no mistake, the current sticking plaster solution of taking enforcement officers off the road to fill testing station gaps is barely sufficient to improve matters, and undermines on-road enforcement.
The DVSA, and its masters, the DfT, need to get a proper grip, and soon.
