53Obligatory goods vehicle test certificates
(1)If any person at any time on or after the relevant date—
(a)uses on a road a goods vehicle of a class required by regulations under section 49 of this Act to have been submitted for examination for plating, or
(b)causes or permits to be used on a road a goods vehicle of such a class,
and at that time there is no plating certificate in force for the vehicle, he is guilty of an offence.
In this subsection “relevant date”, in relation to any goods vehicle, means the date by which it is required by the regulations to be submitted for examination for plating.
(2)If any person at any time on or after the relevant date—
(a)uses on a road a goods vehicle of a class required by regulations under section 49 of this Act to have been submitted for a goods vehicle test, or
(b)causes or permits to be used on a road a goods vehicle of such a class,
and at that time there is no goods vehicle test certificate in force for the vehicle, he is guilty of an offence.
In this subsection “relevant date”, in relation to any goods vehicle, means the date by which it is required by the regulations to be submitted for its first goods vehicle test.
(3)Any person who—
(a)uses a goods vehicle on a road, or
(b)causes or permits a goods vehicle to be so used,
when an alteration has been made to the vehicle or its equipment which is required by regulations under section 49 of this Act to be, but has not been, notified to the Secretary of State is guilty of an offence.
(4)In any proceedings for an offence under subsection (3) above, it shall be a defence to prove that the alteration was not specified in the relevant plating certificate in accordance with regulations under section 49 of this Act.
(5)The Secretary of State may by regulations—
(a)exempt from all or any of the preceding provisions of this section the use of goods vehicles for such purposes or in such an area as may be prescribed, and
(b)make provision for the issue in respect of a vehicle in such circumstances as may be prescribed of a certificate of temporary exemption exempting that vehicle from the provisions of subsection (1) or (2) above for such period as may be specified in the certificate.