MOT
The DVSA is conducting research into how technicians use digital devices at MOT test stations. The survey asks questions about devices used during the MOT test, if you use mobile devices such as phones and tablets during the MOT test, as well as how you use technology generally and how confident you feel using it.
Autotech Recruit has introduced a new pathway for skilled vehicle technicians and MOT testers wanting to try freelancing within the sector, while retaining the security of full-time employment. The cuts to National Insurance contributions for self-employed workers, recently outlined in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, could be a catalyst in helping those, considering becoming freelance, make the transition, according to Autotech.
An analysis of MOT failure data suggests that independent garages should consider how best to service demand for electric vehicle tyres. Matt Cleevely, managing director of Cleevely Electric Vehicles (EV), said the company is stocking a growing inventory of EV-specific tyres, with around 100 sales every month. This is on the back of new data analysis by Garage Industry Trends, which reveals that half of all EV MOT failures on vehicles registered after 2016 relate to tyres – almost double that of a diesel. Additionally, almost 60 per cent of EV advisories relate to tyre condition.
TyreSafe and the National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) have entered a new partnership to promote safe and sustainable biking. The mutual support between the organisations focuses on the need for extra emphasis on vehicle maintenance and a reduction in the number of avoidable defects identified by the rate of motorcycle MOT failures, surprisingly comparable with that of cars; a third fail their first inspection according to DVSA data. Of all the defects leading to an initial MOT failure, the largest proportion of those classified as ‘dangerous’ are tyres at 29 per cent.
IGA will offer large subsidies on MOT training for their members from 1 November 2023. These include a 40 per cent reduction in the cost of MOT tester training and a 50 per cent reduction in the cost of MOT manager training for a limited period. “Due to the challenging times we are facing as a sector, the IGA feels it is appropriate to provide support to members and help them with the cost of upskilling their staff, as we enter the busy period for MOTs,” announced Stuart James, IGA chief executive.
Autotech Training has appointed Rob Walsh as the company’s new Head of MOT. Walsh joined the company at the end of last year as an Automotive Technical Field Trainer and was offered the Head of MOT position last month.
More than 7,000 vehicles were given an “MOT refusal” because they were too dangerous, or too excessively dirty, to test. Select Car Leasing presented its findings after making a Freedom of Information request for the top reasons for MOT refusals in 2023 between January and May 2023. Of the 7,000 vehicles given a refusal, 526 were simply “too dirty to examine.” A further 785 MOT tests were refused on the grounds that the state of the vehicle was ‘too dangerous’ for a proper inspection to be carried out, with a threat posed to the tester, surrounding property, and the car itself.
ATS Euromaster has experienced a significant increase in the volume of SMR work it is now completing, with work on brake changes up 27%, commercial vehicle servicing up 41% and the number of MOTs completed increasing by 8%. The tyre and maintenance provider believes a combination of factors is behind the increased SMR workload, and in response, it is hiring new staff and further training the existing ATS workforce.
ATS Euromaster says it has seen a significant 216 per cent uplift in the requirement for Class 7 MOTs compared with 2020 as fleet managers adapt to longer commercial vehicle life cycles. With the squeeze on new commercial vehicle availability as a result of the war in Ukraine combined with the shortage of semiconductors since 2020, fleet managers have been adapting fleet lifecycles by making their vans work longer before replacement. The Association of Fleet Professionals recently reported that its members were seeing extensions that ranged five to eight years before replacement. As a result, fleet managers are needing to adapt their management of Service, Maintenance and Repair spend and manage MOT requirements.
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) is calling on the government to make its decision on the MOT test frequency, with the Federation calling the lack of clarity on the matter “completely unacceptable”, and harmful for the entire supply chain.
A recent analysis of over 38 million MOTs conducted in 2021 has found that almost one in five resulted in failure, with tyres the most common cause. Poor condition tyres or not meeting the legal requirement of at least 1.6mm of tread depth contributed to 1,101,839 MOT failures across the UK in a single year. Furthermore, the driver-side front tyre tread depth accounted for more than a quarter of these, the equivalent of 368,853 MOT failures, One Sure Insurance found.
An Abertillery MOT tester has been sentenced to 12 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £2128, according to DVSA Enforcement.
The MOT tester in question, whose sentence has been suspended for 12 months, was convicted after they issued four pass certificates over a number of years to a camper van that wouldn’t fit on testing equipment. In other words, the required MOT tests couldn’t have been carried out according to regulations.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has put limiting road casualties, emissions and particulate matter within its Strategic Plan to 2025 and Vision to 2030, which were published 4 April 2023. DVSA’s Strategic Plan and Vision also seek to demonstrate how the agency will harness data in order to improve MOT quality control. Both are likely to impact the way garages and fast-fits that offer MOT testing operation in future.
As part of its response to the Department for Transport’s MOT Consultation, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has researched the views of the motor industry and motorists. Alongside its own in-depth analysis of MOT data, the new research further underlines the IMI’s view that any change to the current date for the first MOT or the frequency of MOTs would significantly increase road user risk. “We received a resounding confirmation – 87 per cent – from our members that the first MOT should not be extended due to increased road safety risk”, explained Hayley Pells, policy manager at the IMI. “And whilst only 51 per cent of motorists we surveyed felt the same, we believe there is sufficient weight of evidence to give the Department for Transport a very clear indication that any change to the start date would be detrimental for all road users.”
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), which represents more than 90,000 automotive professionals, has conducted in-depth analysis of MOT data to formulate what it calls a “considered and balanced response” to the Department for Transport’s MOT Consultation. Working with Garage Industry Trends to examine root causes in current patterns of MOT failure, the IMI analysis provides clear evidence that extending the date for the first MOT will significantly increase road user risk.
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