The Government have announced a ban on  old tyres being fitted to lorries, buses and coaches. The ban makes it illegal to fit tyres aged 10 years or older to the front wheels of lorries, buses and coaches, and all wheels of minibuses. The new measures also apply to re-treaded tyres – with the date of re-treading to be marked – making the age of the tyre clearly visible. The ban is expected to come into force in the autumn. All operators should review their tyre management and vehicle safety check procedures now ahead of the new legislation coming into force. The DVSA already check for tyres over 10 years old during roadside enforcement stops. This change in the law will allow them to issue stronger penalties if found at roadside enforcement checks. This change also means the issue can be covered by the annual test (MOT) in the future Tyres should be part of any walk-around vehicle safety check and any issues picked up before the vehicle is used, See Descartes SmartCheck. Operators should also look out for further information on tyre marking and an update to the categorisation of defects (further guidance) in due course. For more information see Government announcement about banning older tyres.