One of Great Britain’s most respected fleet management enterprises, FleetCheck, is preparing to submit a report to the government’s Department for Transport in response to the alteration in MoT regulations regarding van vehicles in the country. The extension of van vehicles’ MoTs to a total of 4 years is a concern for the enterprise, which believes that the government is overlooking far too many factors and does not realize what a potentially dangerous effect this could have on England’s roads.

The government’s implementation of this extension is of a particular concern to Mister Peter Golding, the MD of FleetCheck. Mister Golding explains that, whilst the government may be right in suggesting that the quality of fleet vehicles has improved in the last few years, this completely overlooks the fact that a vehicle with a large amount of mileage could be in dire need of a safety and regulations check long before the four years are due. Indeed, Mister Golding explains that there have been reports from the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standard Agency) that nearly 50 per cent of vans at Class 7 level (meaning a maximum weight of 3.5 tons) do not even pass their MoT tests after 3 years. With this statistic in mind, it would therefore seem ridiculous that the government would raise the length of time for a vehicle of that type to be examined to an even longer amount of time.

Undoubtedly, this would increase the prospects of more breakdowns and accidents on the roads of Britain. Whilst fleet managers and drivers are expected to complete regular and thorough safety checks, this is of course entirely subjective to each fleet company, and some will indeed be more thorough in their check-ups than others. In light of all of this, it seems no wonder that Peter Golding and FleetCheck will be raising their concerns to the Department for Transport forthwith.