DVSA must do more to find and keep HGV testers for MOTs

During last week DVSA pledged to recruiting further MOT testers to settle the widely discussed shortfall following pressure from industry groups and operators who forced officials to take action.

DVSA’s updates to its Authorised Testing Facility (ATF) programme, otherwise known as Next Generation Testing (NGT), which has had a mixed reception.

NGT has been tailored to give operators more flexibility with tests available before/after working hours, however there is still a shortage in staff. Operators want a complete restructuring to the test itself.

IRTEC offers understanding when matching the requirements for an effective system designed for testing vehicles – which ultimately helps businesses and the economy – their focus is to develop an appealing working environment for vehicle testers, that shows how important their role is to the industry. This involved better pay and better working conditions for those who test vehicles.

John Parry, head of the IRTE Steering Group spoke on the matter:  “We welcome DVSA’s announcement that it will supply more testers, but only time will tell whether it will be enough. This situation is endemic of a much wider problem; a lack of engineers in the transport sector.”

One pledge involved a much more active approach in apprenticeships and recruitment. The issue is it will take time to train those currently learning the responsibilities of being an MOT tester, but it is a step in the right direction.

“Again, we would welcome this move and would urge DVSA to propose an attractive career path for its apprentices,” John continued.

Many have said the Authorised Testing Facility sites aren’t being used and are becoming unproductive. Many operators are calling for the outsourcing of HGV testing, similar to the MOT testing model used with cars. With all DVSA testers being IRTEC licenced, IRTE would endorse this proposal.

“At IRTE, our concern with out-sourcing would be from a safety perspective. We are dealing with complex vehicles that, even with a minor fault, can be dangerous. By out-sourcing, you are potentially taking away a level of quality assurance that could be decisive to how that vehicle performs on the road,” said John. “If the MOTs were being conducted with irtec-licenced technicians in premises that are Workshop Accredited, safety would not be at risk,” concluded John.

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