VOSA launches van best practice guide
The new van guide provides much needed advice and principles to help raise maintenance standards for the light goods vehicles (LGV) sector.
With 50% of vans or LGVs failing their MOT test year on year it’s clear that things have to change.
The new Your van: best practice guide, launched today (Monday 30 September 2013), will give much needed best practice principles to help raise the standards of these vehicles throughout Great Britain.
With input and support from key stakeholders, this is a useful reference point for people who use vans not only for business but also for private hire. The guide includes an operator and driver checklist along with a diagram of a van walk around check.
The aim is to encourage a culture of compliance leading to a reduction in MOT failures and an improvement in the prohibition rate.
Head of VOSA enforcement policy Gordon MacDonald said:
It’s well known by people in the motor trade that there is a high first time MOT failure rate for this type of vehicle. Many of the owners are running small to medium businesses and it must cause inconvenience, especially loss of income, while their vehicles are off the road.
We want to work with them to increase their awareness that a regularly serviced and well maintained vehicle will mean their business is more efficient and they won’t risk having to let customers down because they can’t do the job.
This publication is a collaboration with trade representatives involved in the industry; and VOSA working with them to come up with a workable solution.
It is hoped that this guide will prove to be a valuable tool to help drive up standards of those operating vans for business or private use, making the UK road network a safer environment for all users.
Notes to editors
VOSA is responsible for:
- processing applications for licences to operate lorries and buses and registering bus services
- operating and administering testing schemes for all vehicles, including the supervision of the MOT testing scheme
- enforcing the law on vehicles to ensure that they comply with legal standards and regulations
- enforcing drivers’ hours and licensing requirements
- supporting Traffic Commissioners to help them make informed decisions on operator licensing, vocational drivers and bus registration requirements
- providing training and advice for commercial operators
- investigating vehicle accidents, defects and recalls
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