DSA makes U-turn on Saturday tests
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• The Driving Standards Agency has bowed to pressure from an Essex driver training school and changed its mind yet again on Saturday HGV testing (CM 7-13 February).
Last week the DSA announced that from 14 February, weekend tests would be reintroduced — but only at those centres with waiting lists of five weeks or more.
The compromise follows a threat from West Thurrockbased Roadtrain that it would issue a High Court writ against the DSA for loss of earnings caused by the sudden withdrawal of Saturday tests, unless it was financially compensated or the tests were brought back.
Roadtrain director Nick Smith has withdrawn that threat because he is satisfied with the USA's concession, even though the USA says that "very few" of its 58 permanent HGV centres will be affected.
Now that Roadtrain's local centre at Purfleet is allowed to run Saturday tests it will no longer have to shed two of its seven instructors, or two of its six trucks. Smith estimates that he has lost about £2,000 in lost business and test rescheduling — but that cost could have reached £15,000 this year lithe tests were not reinstated, he says.
The USA is now reviewing the need for Saturday testing to decide if it should be resumed at all of its centres in the new financial year.