DVSA has announced the following information regarding a strike by some vehicle Testers and Traffic Examiners.

Some vehicle testing and enforcement services might be affected by strike action.*

* see update below

Some DVSA staff who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are planning to take strike action during June 2023. This includes:

• vehicle standards assessors
• specialist vehicle standards assessors
• traffic examiners
• vehicle examiners

The strike action is part of national industrial action by the PCS union over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms. 

The strikes will affect different parts of Great Britain at different times. 

MOTs for cars, vans and motorcycles

MOTs for cars, vans and motorcycles are not affected by the strike action. They will be taking place as planned.

Services for MOT Testers

If you’re an MOT Tester with an MOT Demonstration Test booked on the dates of the strike action, you should still go for your appointment, unless DVSA contacts you to tell you not to go.

Not all vehicle examiners are PCS union members, and even if they are, they might choose not to go on strike.

DVSA will automatically rearrange your Demonstration Test if it cannot go ahead because of the strike action.

MOTs for HGVs, buses and trailers

You should go to your vehicle test appointment as planned if it’s on the date of strike action.

DVSA does not expect the strike action to affect MOTs for heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), buses and trailers, but will not know for certain until the strike action takes place.

Not all DVSA staff are PCS union members, and even if they are, they might choose not to go on strike.

If your MOT cannot go ahead

You will need to book another appointment with an MOT centre if your test cannot go ahead because of the strike action.

Tell DVSA if you cannot book a new test if both of these apply to you:

• you have contacted your local test centres and have been unable to book a test
• your MOT expires this month or has already expired

Report that you cannot book an HGV, bus or trailer MOT.

If you manage an ATF

Contact your network business manager if a vehicle standards assessor has not attended your site within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time.

Vehicle approval tests

You should go to your vehicle approval test appointment as planned if it’s on the date of strike action, unless DVSA contacts you to tell you not to go.

Not all specialist vehicle standards assessors are PCS union members, and even if they are, they might choose not to go on strike.

If your vehicle approval test cannot go ahead DVSA will automatically rebook your vehicle approval test for you if it cannot go ahead because of the strike action.

You’ll be sent the new details. You do not need to contact DVSA.

“MOT Testing” comments

Whilst DVSA have clearly attempted to provide comprehensive information to assist those whose businesses will be affected should their PCS members decide to strike in significant numbers, there are uncertainties here that could have serious consequences for many commercial businesses.

There are three types of businesses which could be directly affected; Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) bus operators, and perhaps more crucially, commercial companies known as ATFs who are licensed to test these vehicles by the DVS, but DVSA provide the staff to carry out the inspections. On the expected effect of the strike, DVSA say

“If your MOT cannot go ahead, You will need to book another appointment with an MOT centre if your Test cannot go ahead because of the strike action.

Tell DVSA if you cannot book a new test if both of these apply to you:

• you have contacted your local test centres and have been unable to book a test
• your MOT expires this month or has already expired”.

Consequences

For HGV and PSV operators the uncertainty could be very costly. Their vehicles could have tight schedules for availability and use, and should strike action mean a vehicle’s inspection has to be deferred, this could have serious commercial consequences for HGV operators, and critical timetable disruption for PSV operators and their passengers.

Finally, ATF businesses will come to a complete stand-still if there are no DVSA Testers available to inspect their customers’ vehicles – with not only difficult financial implications for the ATFs affected, but serious knock-on affects for their customers.

Whilst DVSA state that car and light goods vehicle MOTs will not be affected, some Testing Station owners might suffer if, for example they are awaiting an inspection by DVSA staff to approve a new Test Lane, or they have staff due to attend a DVSA training course to become MOT Testers. In either case both the business operation, and their customers could potentially be adversely affected.

DVSA have issued the following update: