Authorised testing facility (ATF) bulletin 02-18: removal of plating and testing exemption
Published 21 February 2018
Applies to England, Scotland and Wales
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1. Purpose
Certain specialist vehicles, based on a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) chassis are losing their exemption from annual testing following a consultation by the Department for Transport.
These vehicles will be included in the existing heavy goods vehicle (HGV) testing service.
Depending on the type of vehicle, it needs to be tested for the first time by either:
- 20 May 2018
- 20 May 2019 or the date its vehicle tax needs to be renewed (whichever is the earlier)
2. Vehicles that need testing before 20 May 2018
These are:
- volumetric concrete mixers
- fast tractors (covered by ATF service bulletin 01/18)
- trailers losing the exemption
- vehicles used on international journeys
3. Vehicles that need testing before 20 May 2019
There will be a phased approach up to 20 May 2019 for some vehicle types, to make sure that industry has more flexibility to balance out the testing of their fleet over a longer period.
However, the vehicle must have passed an annual test by the time its tax needs to be renewed for the first time after 20 May 2018.
Example
If the vehicle’s tax expires on 31 October 2018, the vehicle must have passed its annual test by then.
All previously exempt vehicles must have a current test certificate before 20 May 2019.
Vehicles in this category are:
- mobile cranes
- breakdown vehicles
- engineering plant
- tower wagons
- road construction vehicles
- electrically propelled vehicles (registered since 1 March 2015)
- motor tractors and heavy and light locomotives (exempted under sections 185 and 186(3) of the Road Traffic Act (RTA) 1988
- heavy goods vehicles on some previously exempted Scottish Islands
Vehicles registered from 20 May 2017 will need to have a test at one year old.
4. What you need to know when accepting bookings for test
As an authorised testing facility (ATF), you should treat these vehicles exactly the same as an HGV for billing and booking purposes, using the current fee structure.
Vehicle owners need to apply for an HGV first annual test before their vehicle can be tested. This will generate a technical record and a plating certificate (if appropriate), which is required to allow the test to go ahead.
4.1 Make sure the first test application is complete
This will be a new process for these vehicle owners, so when you take bookings for these vehicles, check they’ve completed the first test application process. This will stop any unnecessary ‘refusals to test’.
Refer them to the application form if they haven’t done this.