Logistics UK has welcomed DVSA’s Vision to 2030, which was published last week, alongside its Strategic Plan to 2025.

The Vision to 2030 document sets out what DVSA plans to do to make transport safer, greener and healthier. 

The first task listed is for DVSA to spend this year continuing to recover its services from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other key aims are to lead the way in legalising safe self-driving technologies and adapt driving standards for vehicles with self-driving features.

The agency also aims to check best-in-class businesses less often, to free its resources to tackle harmful businesses that are serially and seriously non-compliant, and use data and intelligence to target unfair competitors.

It also plans to detect more non-compliance remotely through better data and flexibility, use technology to identify and prevent emissions and drivers’ hours cheats, and recognise and reward the best vehicle operators.

Another key aim is for DVSA to become an “excellent” agency – although the document qualifies this aim by noting that improvements in this area will depend on the level of government funding it receives.  

Over the last 5 years, DVSA has been tasked with cutting costs significantly and has so far made £50.8m of efficiency savings.

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Phil Lloyd, Logistics UK’s head of engineering policy, welcomed the strategies set out in the document .He said Logistics UK is “delighted” to see points highlighted by the association in conversations with DVSA in the document, such as its aim to maintain the increased numbers of vocational HGV tests.

“Also within the vision document is the recognition that autonomous vehicles will play a much larger role moving forward, and it is therefore encouraging that DVSA is already thinking about how it will reach its goal of road safety within this new environment.

“Logistics UK also welcomes the forward-thinking approach to using datasets to identify root causes of issues to improve compliance and looks forward to continuing to support DVSA deliver its vision.”

The DVSA Vision to 2030 was published last week alongside the DVSA Strategic Plan to 2025 which set out proposals to improve its services for its customers, including HGV operators, over the next two years.

Its strategies include plans to review the testing model for Earned Recognition (ER) vehicle operators, which could see ER operators fleets tested at longer intervals.

Other targets set out in DVSA’s Strategic Plan to 2025 include:

  • improvements to vehicle testing,
  • plans to introduce mobile inspection equipment for remote compliance checks, by 2025
  • a review of how under-vehicle inspection equipment could use artificial intelligence to make inspections faster and more efficient
  • ways to speed up HGV testing by simplifying digital services for ATFs
  • plans to improve the vehicle approval service - including doing more approvals at customers’ premises
  • plans to partner with more ATFs to increase competition and choice for customers
  • using data analysis to target and prosecute non-compliant MOT garages
  • introduce a recognition scheme for the ATFs and MOT garages that follow best practice.

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