Q I have had a vehicle off the road for a
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few months and its test certificate has now lapsed. When I submitted it for its next test just before I wished to begin using it again, the new certificate was back-dated to begin when the old certificate expired. Is this correct?
A It depends on how long you had the vehicle off the road and the interval between the expiration of the old test certificate and the date of the new test. The period of validity of goods vehicle test certificates is governed by Regulation 39 of the Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) Regulations 1971.
This regulation provides that test certificates shall run from the expiration of the previous certificate till the next test is due. If there is an interval of less than 10 months between the expiration of the previous certificate and the new test, the new certificate will be valid only till one year from the date on which it should have been tested again originally.
If the interval is more than 10 months but less than 12 months, •then the certificate will be valid for two years.
The moral is plain: if you have had a vehicle off the road and it is nearly 10 months since it was due for re-test, wait till the 10 months has elapsed before arranging the new test.