London DVS grace period extension agreed
Hauliers operating in the capital will have more time to prepare for changes to safety equipment requirements being introduced as part of the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) from 28 October, trade groups have announced.
London Councils’ Transport and Environment Committee has reportedly decided, on the recommendation of Transport for London (TfL), to extend the grace period for compliance with new Progressive Safe System (PSS) equipment requirements by three months, following campaigning by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and other trade associations.
The previous arrangement was for a three-month grace period running up until 31 January 2025.
Now, says the RHA, this grace period will be extended by a further three months to 4 May 2025, though it added that it was awaiting confirmation from Transport for London (TfL) on the details; and TfL has yet to formally announce the change.
Despite the expected extension of the grace period, the changes to the DVS regulations will still enter force on 28 October this year; and operators cannot benefit automatically from the grace period. Instead they will need to apply, providing evidence to TfL that they have installation works arranged to fit PSS equipment within the specified timeframe.
Richard Smith, RHA managing director, said: “We have collaborated extensively with the industry to better understand its challenges to be able to comply to a new standard with short timescales.
“Our most recent survey revealed that 57 per cent of respondents said they weren’t confident of being able to install compliant equipment in time.
“Now we’ve secured much-needed clarifications and a grace period extension the industry can now move forward to invest.
“Meanwhile, we are also clear that road safety is everybody’s responsibility where all road users play their full part. We will continue to ensure that policymakers recognise and apply this important point.”
Logistics UK also welcomed the committee’s decision.
“The decision to double the grace period for the implementation of the next stage of the mayor’s Direct Vision Standard (DVS), via the introduction of the Progressive Safe Standard, is welcome news for London’s hauliers, who deliver everything the capital needs, every day,” said Chris Yarsley, senior policy manager at Logistics UK.
“After intensive negotiations between TfL and Logistics UK, AICES and RHA, we welcome the decision that provides our members with the time, and peace of mind, to ensure they can comply with the stricter standards. Our members remain committed to the very highest standards of road safety, and the extension will ensure that there is sufficient time for hauliers to source and fit the required equipment.
“We would also like to thank London Councils for ensuring that when further phases of DVS are introduced, TfL will be required to provide additional information to smooth their introduction, namely information on real-world testing of equipment; measures to mitigate phase two equipment obsolescence; details of equipment and fitters’ availability and mitigating sensory overload of drivers.
“It is nevertheless important for operators to continue their preparations regarding the new DVS standard because the regulations will still change on 28 October.
“The London Councils’ decision does not change this date, but it does provide a sensible grace period to ensure operators can comply without incurring financial penalties.”
The extension of the grace period follows substantial uncertainty among operators around the exact technical specifications of required equipment under PSS rules.
To help address this, the RHA held a ‘DVS explainer’ event at its Peterborough headquarters on Monday, allowing 140 attendees from road transport operators to hear first-hand how they could meet the new requirements.
Dr Steve Summerskill from Loughborough University, who devised the DVS, explained how the safety kit should work, while a number of equipment manufacturers demonstrated their products.
Chris Ashley, RHA policy lead for environment and vehicles who hosted the event, said: “We were pleased to see so many operators take the opportunity to come to our event which offered them more clarity on how they should meet the new requirement.
“I’d like to thank Steve Summerskill and the PSS equipment manufacturers who came to our event for helping hauliers make more informed choices.”
Last month the RHA published an explainer document for fleet operators on the technological requirements of the PSS, focusing specifically on the blind spot information system (BSIS) and moving off information system (MOIS) requirements, which was prepared by Loughborough University to clarify some points around the specifications.
