ATF update: renewed calls for third-party examiners

Steve Banner casts an eye over the latest happenings in the authorised testing facility (ATF) network

There is no denying that Boleyn Recovery & Fleet Services has benefited from being an authorised testing facility (ATF), says director Stephen Smith.

Admittedly, the investment was substantial. The Barking, Essex-based company spent £110,000 on the test lane itself – “that includes the roller brake tester, the pit and so on,” he says – as part of a £500,000 package that included the building the ATF is housed in and concreting the surrounding area.

“It’s pulled in a lot of servicing work, though,” he points out; and the building plays host to two other, non-ATF, lanes that are put to good use.

“Setting up the ATF has been worthwhile for us,” he states.

As chairman of the ATF Operators’ Association (ATFOA), however, he is concerned about the way in which the ATF programme is being implemented UK-wide by the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).

For a kick-off he believes that too many ATFs are being appointed, which is making it increasingly difficult for operators to generate a return on their investment.

“We have to treat ours as a loss leader,” he remarks.

He is also becoming worried about what appears to be a growing shortage of DVSA examiners available to carry out tests.

Some of the apparent shortage may be a consequence of the roll-out of Next Generation Testing (NGT), he suggests: the move towards making examiners available to carry out tests outside normal working hours.

While operators may welcome this flexibility, Smith suspects that it may have resulted in some examiners either retiring or leaving the DVSA to pursue other job opportunities.

“In our case an examiner didn’t turn up the other Thursday so we had to turn away paid-up customers,” he says. “I have reports that this is happening at quite a few ATFs across London.

“The DVSA has offered to compensate us but I’d prefer not to be in that situation in the first place,” he says. He adds that the DVSA has told him that more testers are being recruited across the UK to offset any shortfall.

Boleyn has two examiners testing daily Monday to Friday with well over 90 per cent of the testing slots taken every day, says Smith.

For 2017 it looked as though the firm would be limited to a single examiner every Friday – no clear reason for this decision was advanced by the DVSA, says Smith – but he protested and won back the second examiner.

Perhaps surprisingly, he does not want service and repair workshops’ own technicians to be accredited to carry out tests in the same way that cars and light commercials are tested. He believes they should still be carried out independently, but not necessarily by DVSA employees.

“Perhaps the Freight Transport Association could handle it with the DVSA laying down the criteria,” he suggests. “It is geared up to do so and could offer the necessarily flexibility.”

Other ATF operators believe, however, that tests could be carried out effectively by their own employees.

That is certainly the view of Billy Nairn, managing director of Volvo dealer Truck & Bus Wales & West.

With 10 locations in total, it runs ATFs at its sites in Hereford, Swindon and Shepton Mallet in Somerset.

“Things are going OK at present but the DVSA clearly has a severe staff shortage,” he says.

“It would be better if we could test ourselves.”

ATFs can function satisfactorily under the existing arrangements. That is the case so far as East Anglian DAF dealership Chassis-Cab is concerned, says managing director, Robert Baxter.

“Tests have been carried out at our Isleham, Cambridgeshire branch for over ten years – we were Designated Premises before ATFs were introduced – and that’s happening five days a week at present,” he says.

Chassis-Cab operates an ATF at its Cambridge dealership too, with testing offered two days a week.

“I’ve heard some horror stories and I’m aware that our situation isn’t necessarily the rule, but we’ve not had any major issues,” he says.

The DVSA was invited to respond to some of the points raised by Stephen Smith, but had yet to do so at the time of writing.