News

VOSA has promised the industry cheaper test fees if it can shift the majority of truck testing to privately owned facilities.

The agency's comments are contained in its response to a recent House of Commons Transport Committee report, which states that VOSA must retain a significant network of testing stations.

It says its Testing Transformation Programme (TTP), which aims to increase private-sector involvement in truck testing, would allow it to sell off a large proportion of its  estate if it is successful.

It states that if a large proportion of tests shift to non-VOSA sites, and that VOSA is able to dispose of a significant number of its existing sites, "this would reduce a significant cost pressure, and result in lower testing fees than would be the case if VOSA retained an extensive Goods Vehicle Testing Station network, and had to continue the programme of site modernisations".

VOSA has also reaffirmed that in future, testing stations will only close when there is sufficient alternative testing capacity in place. It says that it will be "especially mindful of smaller operators" during the transformation process.

It adds: "It is planned that VOSA should retain at least some of the existing testing estate over the next few years to ensure there is sufficient testing capacity.

"In certain locations it might become appropriate to transfer existing VOSA testing stations to the private sector. In such cases, the business drivers would  remain the same - ie to bring testing and maintenance closer together. If testing stations were transferred to the private sector, VOSA expects that this would only be addressed on a site-by-site basis, under a lease with restrictive covenants which, among other things, obliged the lessee to continue to host testing on a basis where it will be open to all."

As Motor Transport went to press, VOSA said it was allowing a little more time for comments from interested parties before it finalised the Authorised Testing Facilities (ATF) contract.

"We want to make sure we get it right," says a VOSA spokesman. "We need to provide the opportunity for interested parties to give their views and incorporate the feedback."

He adds that VOSA is "working tirelessly to finalise [the contract]".

Go to www.roadtransport.com/vosaclosures for more details on Motor Transport's campaign.