Big test demand
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• Demand for HGV annual tests is causing big backlogs are building up, and there is some confusion over the Vehicle Inspectorate's policy on exemptions.
These remain a statutory right, provided the operator has applied for a test within the specified period. Applications must now go through the Inspectorate's regional directors or their deputies, not testing station managers.
One of the busiest stations is at Purfleet, Essex. "Demand generally is going up as the economy expands, but Purfleet is exceptional," says the VI's operations director Julian David. "The people there are working overtime and extra staff have been taken on. We are trying to divert applications but hauliers are understandably saying they want tests."