May 12, 2021
In these turbulent times, the last thing you need to worry about as a business owner is if you could prove to the DVSA that you have complete control of your MOT compliance, and whether you would be liable if something went wrong…
The DVSA are constantly evolving the complex regulations around MOT compliance, and unless you keep on top of these ever changing rules, you could be exposing your staff and business to instant cessation, or in the worst case scenario you may even be open to criminal prosecution.
The MOT Testing Guide clearly states that the MOT business owners are “legally responsible for the entity” – this extends to being criminally responsible for lack of control over your VTS that led to death or injury on the road.
Therefore, it is imperative (and mandatory) that you have all the relevant people in your business structure to deliver compliance and provide a complete span of control from the top to the bottom. This document details what the DVSA expect at each level of your business.
Modern day MOT Site Managers ensure compliance at a VTS level, as they are responsible for managing each MOT testing site and its testers. By appointing and training the right people as MOT Site Managers, you have a person accountable for compliance at each site, creating that span of control across your business.
Please note that a MOT Site Manager’s role & responsibilities are quite different to that of your General Manager or Aftersales Manager. A MOT Site Manager should be someone who is suitably qualified and responsible for managing the day-to-day testing activities at each VTS, and overseeing tester activity, training & reporting.
It’s a mandatory requirement that you appoint at least one MOT Site Manager at each VTS (MOT Testing Guide, pages 171-2). Once you’ve appointed them, you need to train them. Once you’ve trained them, you need to be able to prove that you’ve trained them. At the end of the day, this will act as evidence of your span of control, and help protect your business.
Here at MOT Juice, we’ve developed an in-depth online MOT Site Manager’s Awareness Course. This interactive course explains all the responsibilities of a MOT Site Manager, and equips your MOT Site Managers with actions to put in place at their VTS to immediately improve compliance (complete with an audit trail)
Currently the alternative is to attend a 2 day onsite training course, such as the Level 3 Award in MOT Test Centre Management. The cost of this training course is approximately £500 per attendee, plus travel, subsistence, and potential accommodation costs. It also creates difficulties in being “a person down” for 2 days. Imagine if this were the day a VE chose to visit your site…
Whereas our course is fully online, and can be completed alongside the working day. It consists of bite-sized, easy to digest modules with short video lessons. The total duration of the course is between 3 and 9 hours dependent on experience and current level of site compliance. We can provide this instantly, so it is available when you need it. For example; if you’ve had a bad VE visit and you need to put something into place quickly.
This is structured around the DVSA guidance & expectations, and is a vocational course which includes active implementation of the course material. This empowers your MOT Site Managers to put what they have learned into action in their VTS, solidifying new knowledge, and encouraging ongoing best practice.
By equipping your MOT Site Managers with modern, practical training, this demonstrates that you’re taking your legal responsibility very seriously. Great MOT Site Managers combined with a quality MOT compliance solution will give you complete control and visibility of compliance across your business.
Request a call back or call us on 01293 911120 to discuss how our Site Manager’s Awareness Course will protect you and your business.
