HGV and PSV inspection manuals updated

By Categories: NewsPublished On: Tuesday 28 March 2023

The DVSA has made changes to its HGV and PSV inspection manuals, which are used to as­sess vehicles being taken for annual test or undergoing road­side checks. Key changes high­lighted by DVSA include updates on: inappropriate modification; free rolling tyres on front steered axles; wheel flanges; seat belt webbing; 1c tachograph fitment; flashing stop lamps; trailer EBS conditioning; and PSV brake test­ing.

The revision record section contained in the front of each manual after the title page lists all the updates for each section and their location. The updat­ed manuals are available at: gov.uk/dvsa

The agency also issued a spe­cific warning about free rolling tyres: “From 1 April 2023, free rolling tyres (FRTs) fitted to front steering axles will be treated as a major deficiency at annual test,” it advised. “This means such ve­hicles and trailers will fail the an­nual test… A tyre marked with the term ‘FRT’ on the side wall stands for free rolling tyre. This marking means the tyre is designed for use on axles of a motor vehicle and trailer axles, other than front steering and drive axles.”

Vehicles and trailers which are fitted with FRTs on drive axles are categorised as a major item at annual test, adds DVSA, and will result in a failure.