Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)

Problems with your brakes is a common reason for an MOT fail. Make sure your vehicles are safe before they go out on the road. Some easy warning signs to look out for are: 🧽 A spongey or slack feeling on the pedal when braking. 🛣️ If there are any sudden jerks when braking, you should come to a nice smooth stop. ↔️ If the vehicle pulls to one side when applying the brakes. 🚥 If you find your vehicle takes longer or further to stop than normal. 💧 Its good to make sure that your brake fluid is topped up to the correct level.

Interested in becoming a lorry, bus, or coach driver? 🚛🚌 You need to: 👉 have a complete car licence 👉 be over 18 (but there are some exceptions) 👉 get a qualification called the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Want to know more, click here: http://ow.ly/x09w50Nelm4

Congratulations to Gist Limited which became a DVSA earned recognition operator on 23 July 2024. ✅ Find our more about what it takes to become a member here: 👇https://lnkd.in/dNdNPFm

Just because your MOT is up to date, doesn’t mean your vehicle is safe to drive. Regularly check: 🛞 Tyres for pressure, and wear and tear 💧 Fluid levels are topped up 🚘 Windscreen wipers are clean and working properly 🛑 Brakes are performing properly 🧽 Number plates are clean and undamaged

Rust bucket wreck. 🪣 Our enforcement officers stopped this very rusty trailer at Warwick Services on 28 July. They see badly maintained vehicles all the time but this was one of the worst they have seen. The spring hanger bracket had nearly broken off. This part of the trailer takes most of the braking and turning forces. Under heavy braking or a tight turn, the bracket could fail resulting in its rear axle becoming detached.❌ The operator is now being reported to the Traffic Commissioner to see what they have to say on the matter. Regular maintenance of trailers is as important as that for lorries. Thorough preventative maintenance inspection checks could have spotted the issue earlier. Make sure you know the rules. It could save a lot of hassle. More information here: 👉https://ow.ly/7zF150SXQip

DVSA provide a completely free MOT reminder service. 🆓 🎉 Once you’ve signed up, you won’t need to worry about forgetting your MOT test date. 👍 Sign up to receive a text message or email four weeks before your MOT is due: https://lnkd.in/dF5mdHZ

All rigged up and nowhere to go. 🚧 We stopped a former Canadian Truck at Boughton weighbridge in Faversham, Kent last Thursday. 🚛 It was still displaying its Quebec Registration Plates in addition to the French ones it now has. The full-size semi-trailer it was towing made the combined item far too overlong at 19.6m. The driver knew he shouldn’t be pulling a trailer of that length. He was fully aware of the UK Length Regulations, which are the same as French regulations of 16.5 metres. The vehicle was prohibited from travelling any further until a suitable HGV can take the trailer away. We issued the driver with: - an immediate prohibition for exceeding the maximum permitted length of an articulated HGV and semi-trailer ❌ – a £50 fixed penalty for the above ❌ - a £80 fee as the vehicle had to be immobilised until a suitable vehicle could take the trailer ❌ Allowing a vehicle such as this of unauthorised length back on the road could be a safety issue when travelling non-motorway routes. The vehicle had to be kept at the check site until Friday 9 August as it was too long to safely travel the route to the layby we use for overnight parking and was only released when a suitable vehicle came to take the trailer. The driver should have taken notice of DVSA’s vehicle length guidance.👇https://lnkd.in/dnT9ZXRv

A catalogue of disasters. 📖⚠️ On Thursday, 1 August in West Wales, our examiners found this van emitting excessive smoke. They decided to stop it and took it off the A40 for examination. There were numerous issues with the van: - pump to the tipper mechanism insecure and ready to fall off ❌ - exhaust leak with fumes likely to enter the cab ❌ - trailer not displaying a rear registration plate ❌ The trailer lighting defects were due to the driver not connecting the vehicle to the trailer due to an incompatible connection. This was a foreign driver and non-GB operator. We took a court deposit of £1,500 alongside immediate prohibitions and an £80 immobilisation notice. The driver will now have to attend court to answer for their offences. It's necessary to do appropriate walkaround checks and regular maintenance before you set off. For more information click the link below: 👇 https://lnkd.in/eHptm9ga

Double dip of defects found by our enforcement team. 2️⃣❗ Our enforcement team visited a site in South Wales on Wednesday 18 January 2023 where they noticed a Jeep Cherokee was being worked on. After having a quick check themselves, they noticed a few defects with the vehicles. They then drove to the site of a different testing station. 🚘 While they were waiting in the car park opposite the garage, the same Chrysler Jeep Cherokee pulled up at the petrol forecourt. As they checked the MOT record of the car, they found that the car had just passed its MOT, which was suspicious given that they saw it with defects earlier that day. They pulled it over. They then managed to identify further defects of the vehicle: • The nearside wiper arm had been snapped off • The petrol cap was seized and locked on and could not be removed. The tester was interviewed and the case prepared. The MOT disciplinary resulted in both the Tester and the Authorised Examiner receiving a five year cessation. The defendant pleaded not guilty and was sentenced to the following: • 11 months custodial sentence (suspended for 18 months) • 80 hours unpaid work • A 10 day rehabilitation course • £1,200 towards the costs of the case and an additional towards £187 victim impact. A total of £1387.

Check your fluid levels regularly in all your vehicles to make sure that they are all topped up to the correct level. 👀 Low engine oil can cause an MOT fail. 🛢️ MOT testers can refuse to test the vehicle because low oil levels can cause issues with exhaust emissions tests. 👩🔧