WIREDGOV

Consultation on lorry and trailer testing

DRIVING STANDARDS AGENCY News Release (DSA 33/09) issued by COI News Distribution Service on 11 June 2009

* New rules for trailer and vehicle weights during tests
* Test would better reflect real-life conditions
* Industry asked to comment on implementation

The Driving Standards Agency today unveiled plans to improve the test for drivers of lorries and other large vehicles which tow trailers.

At present, learner lorry drivers in Great Britain are tested in vehicles which do not carry a load - but heavier vehicles and trailers have different driving characteristics to those of unladen vehicles. The new proposals will require that the weight of lorries and trailers used in tests should be similar to the vehicles which candidates will use on the roads after they have passed their test.

Chief Executive of DSA, Rosemary Thew, said: "We want to create a simple, easy to follow and transparent process that accurately reflects the conditions drivers will face on the road.

"I hope everyone with an interest in the industry will take the time to respond to this consultation - we want you to help shape the way this is introduced."

In addition to improving the test for lorry drivers, the new rules will also affect those wishing to tow whilst driving a minibus, coach or bus. The new test rules will not apply to car drivers unless they tow trailers weighing over 750kg. Drivers who already hold a licence allowing them to drive a lorry or tow a trailer will not be affected.

The changes will bring the UK in to line with European regulations on vehicles used in tests. These regulations are intended to strengthen the testing process and improve safety on the roads.

Details are available at http://www.dsa.gov.uk/consultation . DSA will also be writing to those who helped shape the proposals, inviting them to comment.

For further information contact:

John Atkin, Head of Press Office, 0115 936 6133 or email john.atkin@dsa.gsi.gov.uk

Notes to Editors:
1. It is proposed that full containers of water or sacks of material such as sand would be used to simulate the kind of load that drivers have to deal with in their work.

2. This table outlines the categories of vehicles affected by the test:

Licence code Vehicle category       Test required to tow trailer
      B+E          car + trailer          Only if trailer exceeds 750kg
      C            lorry                  Yes
      C+E          lorry + trailer        Yes
      C1+E         medium lorry + trailer Yes
      C+E          articulated lorry      Yes
      D1+E         minibus + trailer      Yes
      D+E          bus + trailer          Yes 

3. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is an executive agency * of the Department for Transport.

4. The DSA's vision is "Safe Driving for Life" with an overall mission to contribute towards a Government target of achieving a 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road accidents, in the age group up to 24 years, by 2010.

5. Current information on road casualties is available from the Department for Transport website: http://www.dft.gov.uk

6. The Agency's aim is to promote road safety through setting standards for drivers, riders and trainers, testing drivers and riders fairly and efficiently, maintaining the registers of Approved Driving Instructors; Large Goods Vehicle Instructors; Fleet Trainers; Driving Instructor Trainers and Post Test Motorcycle Trainers; supervising Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for learner motorcyclists; and driver education and the provision of learning resources.

7. DSA is a trading fund * with an expected turnover of around £199 million for the year 2008/9, largely funded by fee income and revenue from its activities.

8. DSA employs over 2,700 staff, of which some 2,000 are driving examiners based at over 400 test centres across mainland Great Britain. In 2007/2008 the Agency conducted 1.8 million practical tests for car drivers, over 95,000 vocational tests and 94,000 motorcycle rider tests. A total of 1.7 million theory tests were carried out at 158 centres. At the end of the year there were around 43,600 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.

9. DSA was one of the first Government Agencies to introduce an online booking service. Candidates can book and manage their theory and practical test appointments on line at http://www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest

* Executive agency:
An executive agency is semi-detached from its parent department and manages its own budget with freedom from ad hoc, day to day intervention and much of central, government-wide regulation. They are run under the organisation and direction of a Chief Executive recruited through open competition. An executive agency has accountability for the performance of specific operational tasks as a corporate unit, including focused performance targets set by the parent department and personal accountability of the chief executive for performance.

* Trading Fund:
A trading fund is a means of financing trading activities
undertaken by Government that would previously have been financed
by annual appropriation from Parliament. A trading fund permits the establishment of a self-accounting unit that remains under the control and management of Ministers and accountable to Parliament through Ministers, but has greater freedom to manage its financial affairs. Effectively that means the trading fund body can use its income to settle its liabilities and retain year-end cash balances.
Establishing the trading fund does not alter the Agency's constitutional position and it remains part of the Department for Transport.