Private MOT Inspectors Would Be Good for Industry

As a leading provider of HGV driver training in the UK, we are acutely aware of the difficulty of making sure fleets remain current with their MOT inspections. Therefore, we are pleased to know that the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) is now calling on the Conservative government to allow private MOT inspectors for HGVs. The NFDA recently sent a letter to the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Andrew Jones MP, requesting the government look at the issue.

Allowing private MOT inspectors for HGVs would have no direct impact on HGV driver training, but it would be incredibly beneficial to the haulage industry. It would bring HGV operators in line with car and van owners who already have the opportunity to get MOT inspections from private companies.

Under the current system, HGV MOTs can only be conducted by government inspectors. Although the inspections take place at privately owned and operated inspection stations, government inspectors are not always on hand when needed. Furthermore, government inspectors only work during regular business hours. HGV operators must have their inspections done on weekdays, between 9am and 5pm.

Allowing for private MOT inspectors would enable garages and inspection stations to employ inspectors around the clock. Moreover, even if 24-hour inspections were not available, there would certainly be enough companies willing to have inspectors on-site during the evening hours and on weekends. This would alleviate wait times, make it easier for haulage operators to schedule inspections, improve operator efficiency, and, quite possibly, achieve better compliance rates.

NFDA director Sue Robinson put it very succinctly in her letter to the DfT:

“New private testers would allow businesses to operate 24 hours per day, throughout the year while maintaining a high level of safety standards on UK roads.”

A Better System

There is no way to tell how the DfT will respond to the NFDA’s request for private MOT inspectors. One thing we can say is that what is being proposed is clearly a better system than the one currently in place. Cars and vans have already benefited from private MOT inspection without any detrimental effect on safety; there is no reason to believe we would see anything different with HGVs.

The HGV Training Centre will be keeping a close eye on this story as it develops. There are likely to be plenty of discussions before the government makes any concrete decision. Hopefully, they will agree with the NFDA’s assessment of the current situation and their excellent proposal to fix it, implementing the necessary changes before the year is out.

In the meantime, we will continue to provide our students with high-quality HGV driver training. The HGV Training Centre is known throughout the UK for the quality of our trainers, the convenience of our nearly 4-dozen facilities, and the opportunity to finance one’s training through our financing partner. If you are ready to begin your career as an HGV driver, we want to speak with you. New classes are regularly forming.

Sources:

Forecourt Trader – https://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/archivestory.php/aid/9966/Call_to_allow_private_HGV_MOT_testers.html