Vosa launches free van best practice guide

Vosa has launched a 12-page best practice guide for commercial vans, in a bid to tackle the sector’s poor MoT pass rate.

In the forward to the report, which has been produced to address the fact that half (50%) of vans with GVW of 3.5-tonne and above fail their MoT at present, senior traffic commissioner Beverley Bell lends her support. “It has recently become clear that unfortunately many LGVs [light goods vehicles] and their drivers are not as safe as they should be.

“With the large growth in this sector it is vital that all operators of commercial vehicles - whether under or over 3.5 tonnes - ensure that their fleet is roadworthy and that their drivers are not only complying with the law but also professionally trained,” Bell said.

The guide, which is supported by the Road Haulage Association, Freight Transport Association and British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association, includes vehicle and driver checklists, as well as a van walk-around check with diagram.

Vosa said the aim was to encourage a culture of compliance leading to a reduction in MoT failures and an improvement in the prohibition rate.

Gordon MacDonald, head of Vosa enforcement policy, said: “It’s well known 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.”

Van enforcement

There are more than 3.2 million vans used for business across the UK, approximately seven times more light goods vehicles than lorries on UK roads. Vosa stops approximately 10,800 vans each year for roadside checks at a cost to their owners and operators of up to £4,000 per day per vehicle. According to Vosa:

• 93% - proportion of vans found to be overloaded
• 63% - proportion of vans found with serious mechanical defects
• 50% - average roadworthiness prohibition rate
• 50% - failure rate for Class 7 (over 3.5 tonne) MoTs

In view of these figures, Vosa recognises an urgent need for improvement which in turn will help to reduce the van sector’s costs and improve operating standard