Proposed changes to MOT could mean risk management dilemma for fleets

Proposals to change the current MOT regime being considered by the

Government could create a risk management dilemma for fleets, says CFC

Solutions.


Press reports over the weekend indicate that a new system could be adopted

so that the first MOT happens after four years and then every two years,

rather than the current three years and then annually requirement.


Neville Briggs, managing director at CFC, said that in high mileage fleet

situations, the proposed gaps, notably for the first MOT, could be too long

to ensure safety and may potentially create a risk management headache for

employers.


He said: "Fleet managers who run a four year/80,000 mile cycle already know

that the current, three year MOT will often pick up minor - and occasionally

more significant - faults on a car that could be a contributory factor in an

accident. A vehicle that has covered 60,000 miles in three years may have

some problems.


"In an ideal world, these faults would be identified by the dealer as part

of the general service and maintenance regime or by drivers undertaking

regular, basic safety checks - but the overall condition of the vehicle is

not their responsibility and the three year MOT remains an important point

where a car or van receives a clean bill of health just at the point in its

life where it may be developing problems."


Briggs added that the proposed change could also put fleet managers in the

difficult position of downgrading their risk management requirements.


He said: "Fleets have spent the last decade dramatically increasing the

attention that they pay to issues such as safety and regular vehicle checks

but this proposal would actually reduce their obligations. It is difficult

to reconcile this with the health and safety requirements of comprehensive

fleet risk management policies."


Briggs said that the only positive that could be drawn from the move was

that it could reduce fleet running costs marginally.


He concluded: "The expense of the three year MOT would be removed but seeing

as the actual price of the test itself is quite low and that any resulting

costs will normally be safety-related, this seems very much like a false

economy."