April 27, 2023
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recently published their vision up to 2030, with the central theme of: “Keeping Britain moving, safely and sustainably”. To achieve this vision, the DVSA has identified three key areas of focus:
> Improving road safety: The agency is committed to reducing the number of road accidents and fatalities by promoting safe driving practices and improving the quality and accuracy of vehicle testing and inspections.
> Enhancing customer service: The agency is focused on delivering the highest quality services to the public, including streamlined processes, better communication, and greater accessibility.
> Achieving environmental sustainability: The agency is committed to reducing the environmental impact of transport by promoting the use of low-emission vehicles and supporting the development of sustainable transport infrastructure.
According to Loveday Ryder, the Chief Executive of the DVSA,
“We are committed to helping everyone stay safe on Britain’s roads, and this requires a fundamental shift in the way we approach road safety, customer service, and environmental sustainability. Our vision to 2030 and strategic plan to 2025 are a clear roadmap for achieving these goals and ensuring that we are providing the best possible services to the public.”
It seems the DVSA have big plans for the coming years. As an MOT Scheme provider, it will be essential for you to stay informed about any potential developments to the testing process to allow you ample time to pivot your business in response to any changes positively. At MOT Juice, we’ve built an active and engaged nationwide community of Testers – our Tribe. Together we keep our finger on the pulse of regulatory developments and priorities. When VEs begin to frequently raise a specific issue (even before any official regulatory developments), we communicate it to you and your testers, add it to the relevant area of the system, and explain how best to remedy it, helping you to stay comfortably ahead of the VE. Join our Tribe now.
In their strategic plan for 2025, the DVSA identifies several key priorities to support their vision. These include:
> Improving the MOT testing process: The DVSA wants to improve the process making it more efficient and effective. They plan to incorporate new technologies into testing in various ways to improve the overall effectiveness of the scheme.
> Improving compliance: The DVSA wants to ensure that all MOT providers comply with the required standards. Routes to support this intention include regular inspections, incorporating technology and data sharing to encourage better compliance from providers, and acting against those who do not meet the required standard.
> Improving training: The DVSA wants to ensure that all MOT testers are trained and competent to conduct tests. The focus on this is particularly important in this era of such rapid technological advances.
The DVSA has identified new technology as a critical focus for improving the MOT testing process. One example is their desire to expand the use of connected equipment in the MOT testing process. Equipment connected to the MOT testing service allows for more accurate and efficient testing and contributes to a more transparent and traceable testing process. However, the DVSA must consider how to incentivise garages to invest in such equipment.
One of the more obvious technological goals outlined in the strategic plan designed to tighten up on compliance adherence is:
“Further refine the machine learning and data analysis we use to target MOT garages who choose not to do the right things and, where appropriate, prosecute them.”
The plan also contains some more challenging technological targets, for example:
“Encourage investment at MOT garages in connected test equipment to make sure tests meet standards”.
“Use virtual reality technology to train and develop colleagues on a range of vehicles more cost-effectively”.
“Explore how under-vehicle inspection equipment could use artificial intelligence to make inspections faster and more efficient.”
Whether the DVSA can meet these technology targets remains to be seen. But what is clear is the focus on the evolution of MOT equipment regulations over the coming years. The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to ensure you have robust business processes regarding existing equipment calibrations & maintenance, which you can easily extend to newly introduced equipment. MOT Juice’s Equipment Calibrations & Maintenance System takes the stress out of this area of your compliance. The system notifies you what actions are required and when and maintains a log of activity which you can use to evidence your efforts to the VE. You can try out the Equipment Calibrations & Maintenance System as part of our free trial by following this link.
Collaboration, data sharing and transparency appeared in several places throughout the plan. In acknowledging the need to respond directly to the DofT’s recent consultation on the MOT’s future, the plan explicitly highlights the concept of publicising compliance data, which we’ve discussed at length here.
“Respond to the outcomes of DfT’s call for evidence on MOT testing, including any improvements to how MOT garages are regulated and the data we publish to help encourage compliant behaviour.”
We note another target related to beneficial collaborations here:
“Support vehicle manufacturers to manage recall campaigns using our services (such as MOT).”
In terms of transparency and cultivating a culture of compliance within the business, the strategic plan outlines the DVSA’s intention to:
“Recognise the ATFs and MOT garages that follow best practice.”
And later in the plan, the DVSA outline the intention to:
“Explore expanding Earned Recognition to more schemes across DVSA.”
The Earned Recognition Scheme, which has been successful in the haulage sector for several years, could greatly benefit the private sector. This model acknowledges providers committed to ‘walking towards the regulator’ by embracing a compliance culture, thus incentivising individual accountability and raising standards across the scheme.
The DVSA’s vision and strategic plan represent a significant step forward in the agency’s efforts to improve road safety, enhance customer service, and achieve environmental sustainability. Some targets appear a little far-fetched, and only time will tell how viable the targets really are. What is clear from the recently published vision and plan is that if you commit to nurturing compliance as a culture within your business, embrace new and helpful technologies, provide excellent service to your customers, and lean into expert advice on how to protect your business, you will be winning at life and business.
MOT Juice’s innovative compliance management system can help MOT Scheme providers easily meet the DVSA’s requirements and cultivate a culture of compliance based on best practices. We offer a full suite of tools and resources, which we are constantly developing and adapting ahead of regulatory changes to keep your business safer with less effort. Unambiguous illustrated traffic-light KPI data makes it easy for you to understand, at a glance, where improvements are required. You can use this data to optimise internal compliance, business processes, and revenue-generating activities. Every compliance action is tracked on the system, meaning responsibility for compliance stops where it should, and evidencing compliance actions to the VE is a breeze.
MOT Juice’s innovation doesn’t stop at developing a fantastic system that takes the stress out of your compliance and training. We also provide a range of practical free solutions supporting MOT providers. Our fast search MOT Testing Guide and MOT Inspection Manuals make it easy to refer to the guidance on a specific issue quickly. We’ve added accessibility features to these DVSA resources to support those who struggle to read traditional web text. We offer an online equipment manuals library that should cover all the equipment in your workshop. Just let us know if something is missing, and we will try to add it. We’ve also started a free comprehensive product review channel on YouTube to help you feel confident in your workshop procurement plan. Check it out here. MOT Juice can help you optimise all areas of your MOT scheme business with little effort. But don’t take our word for it; check out these reviews from some of our valued customers:
