VOSA to close lanes at 10 test stations

VOSA is planning to close lanes at 10 of its HGV testing stations this year, despite no further Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs) being established.

To date, Scania, TruckEast and Wincanton remain the only three CV signatories to the ATF contract since its publication in January, with just two ATF sites live between them.

MT has discovered the following 10 stations are due to lose a lane over the next few months: Canterbury, Chelms-ford, Darlington, Glasgow, Leeds, Newcastle, Poole, Purfleet, Southampton and Stoke.

With the closure of VOSA's Steeton, West Yorks station in March, Leeds was supposed to pick up a large percentage of Steeton's volume, so it seems a bizarre move to reduce its testing capacity.

Likewise, the Newcastle station, according to local customers, is another strange addition to the list.

"The station is only three years old and cost VOSA £3.5m to build, plus it is always busy," says Mark Hoddinott, owner of CV maintenance garage Hoddy's Recovery in Gateshead, Newcastle. "I take around 20 to 30 HGVs a week for tests on behalf of my customers and, on average, I have to wait two to three weeks for a test date. If they reduce the testing capacity at Newcastle, I will have to travel an hour-and-a-half to the Carlisle or Berwick [on-Tweed] test stations."

Leading a group of more than 30 operators and maintenance providers, Hoddinott is calling for an urgent meeting with VOSA to get to the bottom of this decision.

In the meantime, VOSA responded to MT's own questions surrounding the lane closures, by saying: "We are constantly monitoring the level of demand at each of our testing stations.

"The stations identified in the list, including Leeds and Newcastle, are simply part of that process and with the analysis now completed, it is possible to confirm that lanes may be decommissioned at these sites. This is done to ensure that we are providing a service that meets the needs of our customers and that we are making the most efficient use of resources."