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The jury is still out on whether authorised testing facilities should be privatised, which could reduce waiting times for operators
THE DVSA'S FAILURE TO solve the significant staff shortages affecting HGV MoT testing means authorised testing facilities (ATFs) should be fully privatised, enabling non-government vehicle testers to fill the roles, say operators.
Despite claims by the DVSA that the problems have been overstated, companies have told CM the model has to change to eliminate 13-week waits for tests. The enforcement agency has committed to recruiting additional testers to offset the shortfall after industry groups and ATF operators put pressure on it to act.
Terrible crisis
However, many think the skills shortage is insurmountable without an overhaul of the current testing model. Stephen Smith, director at ATF operator Boleyn Recovery and chairman of the ATF Operators' Association (ATFOA),said the situation had become ridiculous, adding that the DVSA's Next Generation Testing idea had failed. "As well as creating an environment where hauliers can't get tests, the DVSA . has also created an environment where we can't make any money," he said. "It's a terrible crisis it has created. We told it so, but it continued to do it."
Smith said he was originally against outsourcing the role of testers to the private sector, but desperation had forced him to rethink. "It does make sense, the industry knows how to cope with the peaks and troughs of supply and demand, so they should do the testing. My preferred method would be ATFs only conducting third-party...