Is VOSA Compromising Highway Safety?

Whether a driver receives his HGV training Norfolk, Hampshire, or South Yorkshire, highway safety is one of the things emphasised by the training centre. However, the driver is only part of the equation. His employer and the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) also have a part to play. Some believe the VOSA is not living up to its responsibility.

According to a recent report from Fleet News, the government agency is lacking in two areas. The first is a focus on highway safety compliance among smaller firms to the neglect of larger haulage companies. The VOSA apparently focuses on smaller companies because their vehicles are out of compliance more often than larger companies are.

While that might be true, Fleet News points out that the volume of traffic represented by the smaller companies is less than that of their larger counterparts. Neglecting highway safety issues among larger companies could lead to safety issues down the road.

The second problem is that the VOSA has not been as quick as they should be in turning over testing sites to private entities. In 2010, the agency embarked on a program to gradually phase out its own testing sites in favour of privately owned sites staffed by VOSA personnel. Unfortunately, the pace has been slower than anticipated.

Not only are private test sites not being established, those that are do not have sufficient staffing levels to provide the services necessary. A lower volume of testing could ultimately lead to more vehicles being out of compliance.

Safety Issues Important

The HGV Training Centre talks an awful lot about highway safety issues in our daily blogs. We do this because we believe safety issues are of utmost importance. Just read the news every day and you might be astonished at how many HGV and PCV accidents happen on UK roads. Some of these accidents could be avoided if safety issues were addressed more aggressively.

While we cannot prevent every accident, the HGV Training Centre does its part by stressing safety in all of our courses – whether it’s HGV training in Norfolk or any of our other 45+ sites around the country. We want our drivers to get behind the wheel only after they have a mindset of safety at the forefront of everything they do.

We believe that safe drivers and equipment make UK roads safer for everyone. We also believe that a safety mindset among drivers goes a long way to uncovering equipment problems and any inherent weaknesses in the safety procedures established by their employers. Needless to say, we teach safety first.

The HGV Training Centre offers training classes for HGVs, PCVs, forklift trucks, horseboxes and horsebox trailers, heavy construction equipment and trailer towing. We pride ourselves on our intense and fast-paced approach, which prepares our drivers to pass their tests as quickly as possible.

If you are ready to start your professional driver training, contact us at the HGV Training Centre. We want to get you going as soon as possible.