Our revised guidance on how we categorise vehicle defects in roadside checks has been published today.

This guide outlines the actions we take when roadworthiness defects are found during vehicle inspections.

The changed rules will be enforced from 1 February 2021.

What’s changed

The banning of tyres aged over 10 years on the front axles of lorries, buses, coaches and all single wheels of minibuses (9 to 16 passenger seats) from 1 February 2021 is covered in the revisions.

Additional notes on dash mounted tables, laptops, tablets and mobile phones have been added to issues affecting the view of the road.

Other updated sections include:

  • brakes
  • lamps
  • steering control
  • suspension.

The revision record (Appendix A of the categorisation of defects) has also been updated, which identifies all the changes in this guide.

The revised categorisation of defects document.

Changes to heavy vehicle Annual Test inspection manuals

Ahead of the ban on tyres over 10 years old, we’ve also published changes to the Annual Test inspection manuals for passenger service vehicles and heavy goods vehicles.

You can read Section 8 of the updated documents to find out how the procedures and standards on the condition of tyres will change from 1 February 2021.

The manuals also give guidance on tyre age markings and set out the deficiency categories for these items at annual test.

A change table listing all the changes in the manuals is also available to view. 

We’ve also published an updated version of the Guide to maintaining roadworthiness.

The existing publications are still online and in use until 1 February 2021.

Using old tyres on historic vehicles

The new regulations exempt non-commercial vehicles aged 40 years and older from these requirements.

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