Chelmsford LGV Test Site to Welcome Cars from February 2015

An LGV test site in Chelmsford is preparing to welcome standard car testing next February as part of DVSA efforts to consolidate testing facilities. The DSA and VOSA combined earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure, forming the new Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). One of the cost-cutting tools being used by the new agency is the closing of test facilities around the country.

In the case of the Chelmsford LGV test site, it is being merged with the car test site at Hoffmanns Way. The current LGV site at the Widford Industrial Estate will be refurbished to make room for car testing and the eight government examiners who will be relocated from Hoffmanns Way. The DVSA says there will be no loss of jobs as a result of the merger.

On a broader scale, the DVSA has been pursuing a strategy of no longer managing testing sites on its own. Rather, it is turning site management over to private entities who operate them as businesses. We have already seen a number of these privately owned testing centres opened in various locales. All that remains the same are the individuals administering the exams. All tests are conducted by government examiners, not by employees of the private firms managing the sites.

As for the Chelmsford site, nothing much will change for the LGV drivers who go there for their practical skills tests. The testing course may have to be modified somewhat, but the process of testing should be no different. Drivers will still have to demonstrate the proper skill and knowledge to prove they can operate a large commercial vehicle safety.

We Train – No Tests

The establishment of new privately owned testing centres does not change the fact that companies such as ours cannot test students. What we do at the HGV Training Centre is provide the classroom and behind-well-wheel training necessary to prepare students to take the LGV test. However, we do send a trainer with the student to the testing site on the appointed day.

Why do we do this? We have discovered that sending a trainer with the student helps to ease any anxiety the student might be experiencing prior to the test. It also offers an opportunity for the student to ask any questions he or she might have prior to undergoing the exam. We have seen our students do very well as a result of this policy.

Are you interested in a career as an LGV driver? If so, we encourage you to contact us here at the HGV Training Centre. Our industry-leading training classes can prepare you to take and pass the LGV test the first time. We use a fast-paced and intense training programme that can have you licenced and looking for work in a very reasonable amount of time. Moreover, when you are ready to look for work, we have a jobs database full of opportunities across the UK. Give us a call for more details.

Sources:

Essex County Standard – https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/localnews/11580295.Hoffmanns_Way_driving_test_centre_on_the_move/