Hauliers could end up before a traffic commissioner at a public inquiry if they’re found to have tampered with the exhaust emissions values on their manufacturer’s plate, the DVSA has warned.

The agency said its vehicle standards assessors have picked up on small numbers of HGVs being presented for annual test with some form of tampering carried out to the exhaust emissions data recorded on the vehicle manufacturer’s plate.

It said operators had been reported to the traffic commissioner for public inquiry consideration and it warned hauliers against the practice.

“The MOT requires the exhaust emissions to be tested to the manufacturer’s type approval values,” the DVSA explained. “If this is not available, the vehicle could be tested to an incorrect standard.

“A recent recording exercise found that the practice is relatively uncommon. But it does impact government efforts to reduce emissions and could be an indicator of wider poor practice on the operator’s part."

“To ensure that this is not an indication of wider poor practice, DVSA enforcement teams have followed up these tampering reports by either writing to the operator asking for an explanation or paying the operator a visit,” it added.

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