Public not private testing of lorries

The privatisation of heavy vehicle testing will have a detrimental impact on road safety, unions from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) told the House of Commons transport select committee.

Trade union side secretary Kevin Warden said the unions remained “deeply concerned about privatisation,” as the incentive for profit undermined a commitment to road safety.

He said VOSA strongly regulated the testing for cars and light vehicles, but inspectors often found that 25% of vehicles had been incorrectly tested by the private sector.

Given the commercial pressures of running heavy vehicles, he said there was an obvious concern that the same would happen if heavy vehicle testing were to be undertaken by the private sector.