The Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) (Amendment) Regulations 2014

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) Regulations 1988 (“the 1988 Regulations”). Regulations 3 to 5 amend a number of the fees prescribed by the 1988 Regulations, which were all last fixed with effect from 1st April 2012. The changes come into effect from 1st October 2014.

Regulation 3 changes the fee payable on an application for a first examination or periodical test. Table 1 shows fee changes where the first examination or periodical test is carried out at a vehicle testing station provided by the Secretary of State (with the percentage increase shown in brackets).

Table 1

Description of vehicle	Old Fee (£)	New Fee (£)
Motor vehicle with 2 axles	98	112 (14.3%)
Motor vehicle with 3 axles	123	144 (17.1%)
Motor vehicle with 4 or more axles	150	177 (18.0%)
Trailer with 1 axle	44	51 (15.9%)
Trailer with 2 axles	59	70 (18.6%)
Trailer with 3 or more axles	71	84 (18.3%)

Table 2 shows fee changes where the first examination or periodical test is carried out, at the applicant’s request, at a vehicle testing station not provided by the Secretary of State. These fees have been reduced (with the percentage decrease shown in brackets).

Table 2

Description of vehicle	Old Fee (£)	New Fee (£)
Motor vehicle with 2 axles	93	91 (-2.2%)
Motor vehicle with 3 axles	117	113 (-3.4%)
Motor vehicle with 4 or more axles	141	137 (-2.8%)
Trailer with 1 axle	42	41 (-2.4%)
Trailer with 2 axles	56	54 (-3.6%)
Trailer with 3 or more axles	67	64 (-4.5%)

Regulation 4 changes the fee payable on an application for a re-test carried out within 14 days after the vehicle was submitted for its first examination or periodic test (regulation 16(1) and (3) of the 1988 Regulations). The new fees for re-tests carried out at a vehicle testing station provided by the Secretary of State are shown in Table 3 (with the percentage increase shown in brackets).

Table 3

Description of vehicle	Old Fee (£)	>New Fee (£)
Motor vehicle with 2 axles	40	49 (22.5%)
Motor vehicle with 3 axles	56	69 (23.2%)
Motor vehicle with 4 or more axles	73	91 (24.7%)
Trailer with 1 axle	20	25 (25%)
Trailer with 2 axles	28	35 (25%)
Trailer with 3 or more axles	37	46 (24.3%)

The new fees for re-tests carried out, at the applicant’s request, at a vehicle testing station not provided by the Secretary of State are shown in Table 4 (with the percentage decrease, where applicable, shown in brackets).

Table 4

Description of vehicle	Old Fee (£)	New Fee (£)
Motor vehicle with 2 axles	37	35 (-5.4%)
Motor vehicle with 3 axles	52	49 (-5.8%)
Motor vehicle with 4 or more axles	68	65 (-4.4%)
Trailer with 1 axle	19	18 (-5.3%)
Trailer with 2 axles	26	25 (-3.8%)
Trailer with 3 or more axles	35	33 (-5.7%)

Regulation 5 makes the following further changes to fees prescribed by the 1988 Regulations:

In regulation 25(4), where an appeal is made to the Secretary of State by any person aggrieved by a determination made on a first examination, the accompanying fee is increased by 25.8% from £31 to £39. This fee also applies to an appeal relating to a periodical test by virtue of regulation 29(2) or, in either case, to a re-test.

In regulation 34(1), where there is a request for an amendment to a plating certificate following a notifiable alteration or for a re-examination where a particular contained in a plating certificate is or may be no longer applicable, the fee is reduced by 3.6% from £28 to £27.

In regulation 37B(2), the fee payable for the alteration of the plated weights (or any of the plated weights) for a vehicle without an examination is reduced by 3.6% from £28 to £27.

The opportunity has been taken in regulation 6 to simplify regulation 34 by omitting paragraph (2A) in order to remove the differentiation between a re-examination undertaken at a vehicle station that is provided by the Secretary of State and at one that is not. The fee now specified in regulation 34(1) applies to both situations, so that in the case of a re-examination at a test station that is not one provided by the Secretary of State, the fee is increased by 3.8% from £26 to £27.

An impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business and the voluntary sector is available from the DVSA Corporate Office, Berkeley House, Croydon Street, Bristol BS5 0DA (telephone: [phone]). A copy has been placed in the library of each House of Parliament. The impact assessment is annexed to the Explanatory Memorandum which is available alongside the instrument on the website, www.legislation.gov.uk. DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) was formed on 1st April 2014 following the merger of VOSA (Vehicle and Operator Services Agency) with the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) to form a single entity.