The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is responsible for carrying annual tests on around one million heavy vehicles each year. The DVSA have 500 testers that work at a range of Authorised Testing Facilities (ATFs). As with MOT testers, the DVSA testers are responsible for making sure vehicles are safe to drive when tested to help protect the public from defective and potentially dangerous vehicles on our roads. In the latest Moving On Blog from the DVSA they highlight some of the horrors they have come across including:

• Using glue to fix a suspension bolt in place
• A visible crack in a wheel
• Badly corroded brake chambers
• Broken tank strap and badly corroded air tank for the braking system
• Broken and exposed electric earth cable on a vehicle in a dangerous goods test
• Broken suspension spring leaf
• Holes in the exhaust

See the pictures at https://movingon.blog.gov.uk/2019/07/10/heavy-vehicle-horrors/ Drivers should pick up any issues on the daily walkaround check of the truck and many of the above could have been spotted with a driver vehicle safety check. It has been estimated that 85% of roadside prohibitions could have been avoided if a vehicle check had taken place. Descartes SmartCheck driver vehicle safety check gives operators the confidence that vital vehicle safety check take place by recording the results of the inspection, date, time, location and duration of the check in real time. Find out more and get a quote for your fleet.