DVSA has responded to suggestions made by the Authorised Testing Facility Operators Association (ATFOA) that it will be unable to manage the volume of heavy vehicle MoT appointments needed once the three-month suspension of testing ends.
Noting that DVSA has “consistently met its heavy vehicle testing requirements,” a spokesperson for the agency adds that it is “exploring how vehicle testing will be reintroduced while adhering to government advice on coronavirus COVID-19.”
DVSA is now working with ATFs and operators to confirm how future testing resource will be delivered with “minimal disruption” to businesses.
“DVSA is considering a range of options. We will of course be listening to feedback. No decisions have been made yet,” the spokesperson adds. ATFs utilised 93% or less of the hours that DVSA allocated to them over the last 18 months, says the agency.
ATFOA has also engaged with DVSA in a bid to help formulate the way in which testing should be undertaken when it resumes. It continues to argue that delegated testing is a possible solution. Among the other suggestions it has aired are:
- The possible temporary substitution of Class V testing for all PSVs to streamline the process
- Using technicians who prepare vehicles for test and PMIs to undertake the MoT
- Fast-tracking ATF staff through the DVSA tester training programme, or examining whether holders of an IRTEC qualification could carry out testing
- Whether Earned Recognition status and OCRS status could be used to “assist the situation”.
