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• by Guy Sheppard Hauliers are being forced to wait
Page 10
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up to two months when booking trucks in for their annual tests because of staff shortages within the Vehicle Inspectorate.
One owner-driver, whose nearest test station is in Kidderminster, Worcs, says he has had to spend more than £700 renting a vehicle because the earliest available date he was offered was after his test certificate had expired, "My garage got a letter back from the test station at the end of February to say the earliest they could do was the end of April," he says. "I feel a bit annoyed that I'm having to fork out 2120-a-day for a boxvan when it's not my fault.' The driver, who wants to remain anonymous, says the next nearest test station, in Gloucester, was fully booked as well, A spokeswoman for the VI confirms that there is currently a two-month delay at Kidderminster between making the appointment and getting the test, even though the target delay is no more than 18 days. "There are certain areas where we have problems recruiting, including the South-East and the Midlands," she says. "Kidderminster is down for three new testers."
She adds that VI staff are working overtime in a bid to reduce the backlog: "Kidderminster would probably do 60 axles per day normally but at the moment they are doing between 80 and 90."
The backlog at Kidderminster is said to have been worsened by the large number of horseboxes put in fortests since Christmas.