bigjim1976:
only goin on wot was said to me when i went in to test a trailer. i spoke to the guy who put me thru my mot course sum 12yr ago!!! he said he was in testing station as vosa wer skint and the testing stations wer main prority so he was taken off roadside stuff to cover a testing station…but at same time these guys r human too!!! of sorts!!! just gotta go by book n all will be good!!!
Could also be due to being made to downsize in staff, having a civil service wide recruitment ban and having the same numbers of commercial vehicles needing testing, hence the only option is to use technically trained enforcment staff to cover test lanes at times… maybe?
When I asked a tester about the implications of the ABS light showing on the dashboard, his reply was “you will have to speak to an enforcement officer, I am a tester”
Another point regarding self-funding. At a test station my vehicle failed on brake imbalance. I rectified the “fault” and contacted them for a retest. I was given one for that afternoon. No problem you might think, but when I booked the original test there was a three week delay, but a retest could be carried out on the following day. By coincidence the day after the fees had gone up and retests cost the same as the original test. Am I just being cynical?
Well, as annual testing is a rolling thing, do you think they would not book anyone in for 3 weeks just to make a few quid?
How long is a re-test slot at a test station?
Do you think they have to keep re-test slots free? Or should they go on the waiting list too, IE, just book everything up with annual tests.
This was really a common sense question to answer.
I know a lot of people don’t like VOSA, but we do need some sort of regulation. Would the police or similar get it right with regards enforcment of this type? Doubt it a lot of the time. I have heard so many stories where “the copper checked my chart just because he had never seen one before”
As for testing, its always going to be needed so someone has to do it.
As you are obviously very knowledgeable on this matter, please explain the difference in qualifications required for a tester and an enforcement officer.
There always seems to be this basic assumption that “if the government owns it - it must be well run, efficient and fair to everyone”. “If it is privately owned - they will screw everyone they can to make a fast buck.”
Think back a little to the telephone service. When it was run by the GPO you had to wait up to 3 months just to get a line put in to your house - and it cost £70. We keep hearing about how awful the privatised train service is; but I don’t remember British Rail as being a shining example to the rest of the world (not since WW2 anyway).
It is true that private and public companies may have a different outlook, but providing that the rules are properly written, there is every reason to believe that a private company can deliver the same or better service for less cost to the taxpayer. Of course the one thing a privatised VOSA would lack is competion. Maybe if the test stations remained in public ownership - with the actual testing being put out to tender every 3 years, just like a warehousing contract.
Enforcement doesn’t need huge amounts of capital so that coud work the same way. Maybe the RAC or the AA would take it on?
Santa:
There always seems to be this basic assumption that “if the government owns it - it must be well run, efficient and fair to everyone”. “If it is privately owned - they will screw everyone they can to make a fast buck.”
Think back a little to the telephone service. When it was run by the GPO you had to wait up to 3 months just to get a line put in to your house - and it cost £70. We keep hearing about how awful the privatised train service is; but I don’t remember British Rail as being a shining example to the rest of the world (not since WW2 anyway).
It is true that private and public companies may have a different outlook, but providing that the rules are properly written, there is every reason to believe that a private company can deliver the same or better service for less cost to the taxpayer. Of course the one thing a privatised VOSA would lack is competion. Maybe if the test stations remained in public ownership - with the actual testing being put out to tender every 3 years, just like a warehousing contract.
Enforcement doesn’t need huge amounts of capital so that coud work the same way. Maybe the RAC or the AA would take it on?
The down side of tendering is that eventually the standards slip because it has to keep reducing costs and a point is reached where it runs at a loss.
The car testing facilities are provided by private operators and work pretty well, why not the same with LGV and PCV testing. The good ones would prosper and the bad ones would sink, better known as market forces. We aleady have a system whereby certain tests can be carried out by employees of the garage rather than VOSA so an extension of that would not be a problem. Competition can also lead to lower prices, car mot’s are advertised at £25 or less.
waddy640:
As you are obviously very knowledgeable on this matter, please explain the difference in qualifications required for a tester and an enforcement officer.
Have a look at the job rolls on their website… its all written there. Why should I explain? Because I didn’t hear it from a friend and I found out without making assumptions?
Santa:
There always seems to be this basic assumption that “if the government owns it - it must be well run, efficient and fair to everyone”. “If it is privately owned - they will screw everyone they can to make a fast buck.”
Think back a little to the telephone service. When it was run by the GPO you had to wait up to 3 months just to get a line put in to your house - and it cost £70. We keep hearing about how awful the privatised train service is; but I don’t remember British Rail as being a shining example to the rest of the world (not since WW2 anyway).
It is true that private and public companies may have a different outlook, but providing that the rules are properly written, there is every reason to believe that a private company can deliver the same or better service for less cost to the taxpayer. Of course the one thing a privatised VOSA would lack is competion. Maybe if the test stations remained in public ownership - with the actual testing being put out to tender every 3 years, just like a warehousing contract.
Enforcement doesn’t need huge amounts of capital so that coud work the same way. Maybe the RAC or the AA would take it on?
The down side of tendering is that eventually the standards slip because it has to keep reducing costs and a point is reached where it runs at a loss.
The car testing facilities are provided by private operators and work pretty well, why not the same with LGV and PCV testing. The good ones would prosper and the bad ones would sink, better known as market forces. We aleady have a system whereby certain tests can be carried out by employees of the garage rather than VOSA so an extension of that would not be a problem. Competition can also lead to lower prices, car mot’s are advertised at £25 or less.
But, the car MOT scheme is enforced by VOSA enforcement staff. So would a system for HGV’s work the same way do you think?
If you go in to employee profiles, then you will find vehicle tester and vehicle examiner…
I believe that those would be the 2 you want to compare. If you look at the two individuals, there is a person specifaction at the bottom of each page.
Thing is at the moment, anything is possible, not just with VOSA but the whole government, and unlike many things that get leaked out, there doesn’t seem to be much being made public information wise.
The goverment review didn’t give much away, other than that government departments had to downsize and feedback how this would be done within 4 weeks. It does make you wonder.
Thing is at the moment, anything is possible, not just with VOSA but the whole government, and unlike many things that get leaked out, there doesn’t seem to be much being made public information wise.
The goverment review didn’t give much away, other than that government departments had to downsize and feedback how this would be done within 4 weeks. It does make you wonder.
In most government departments I think the issue is that everyone wants to look busy so they can justify their existence. There are obviously many that aren’t high profile and we do no know what they are doing in this respect. The situation with VOSA is that there has been talk of VTS closures and no one wants to be working in the ones listed. This could explain the higher profile by their enforcement staff. Twice in the last fortnight they have been checking vehicles on A17 at the same spot, nowhere near Sleaford I might add.
Time will tell what is happening, as the chance of advance notice is slim.
Thing is at the moment, anything is possible, not just with VOSA but the whole government, and unlike many things that get leaked out, there doesn’t seem to be much being made public information wise.
The goverment review didn’t give much away, other than that government departments had to downsize and feedback how this would be done within 4 weeks. It does make you wonder.
In most government departments I think the issue is that everyone wants to look busy so they can justify their existence. There are obviously many that aren’t high profile and we do no know what they are doing in this respect. The situation with VOSA is that there has been talk of VTS closures and no one wants to be working in the ones listed. This could explain the higher profile by their enforcement staff. Twice in the last fortnight they have been checking vehicles on A17 at the same spot, nowhere near Sleaford I might add.
Time will tell what is happening, as the chance of advance notice is slim.
There is one thing with regards testing, yes they are pushing for test station closures, but the testing staff will still be employed by VOSA and used at the outside facilities. Whether that menas they would need less managerial staff in this area I don’t know, but i would assume it would cut out some admin and property maintainance people from the bigger picture.
Like you said, advance notice will be little or none. I don’t think there is a higher profile by enforcment staff at the moment.
We are dealing with truck drivers here so 60% of what they say about VOSA will be total BS, 15% will be ■■■■■■■■, 10% will be nonsense, 5% will be fantasy and the remainder will be correct. Bear in mind the OP is particularly susceptible to believing this sort of stuff based on previous posts.
Why does anyone think the stuff about VOSA spouted in RDC waiting rooms and truck stops is any more truthful than chalk and cones in a Tesco RDC, narrowly missing a ferry, or taking a dump in the back of a bulker while a double decker full of nuns/schoolgirls/pensioners drove past?
Coffeeholic:
We are dealing with truck drivers here so 60% of what they say about VOSA will be total BS, 15% will be ■■■■■■■■, 10% will be nonsense, 5% will be fantasy and the remainder will be correct. Bear in mind the OP is particularly susceptible to believing this sort of stuff based on previous posts.
Why does anyone think the stuff about VOSA spouted in RDC waiting rooms and truck stops is any more truthful than chalk and cones in a Tesco RDC, narrowly missing a ferry, or taking a dump in the back of a bulker while a double decker full of nuns/schoolgirls/pensioners drove past?
Coffeeholic:
Bear in mind the OP is particularly susceptible to believing this sort of stuff based on previous posts.
if that was true i would be doing a lot of things differently
Mike C, you are correct in saying that the examples i gave are from the EU but the choice to remain within that regime still exists so they could tell them to shove it. they also choose how rigorously to enforce the BS from brussels and could quite easily ignore it. there is always a choice of official and unofficial
I hope not,there is more to vosa when they are a public body than a private company who we all know will be on the make,ie TV in hospital ,clampers,car garages and mot,s private car parking,no not for me
scanny77:
Mike C, you are correct in saying that the examples i gave are from the EU but the choice to remain within that regime still exists so they could tell them to shove it. they also choose how rigorously to enforce the BS from brussels and could quite easily ignore it. there is always a choice of official and unofficial
Oh right, they can ignore it if they want to? News to me !!!
of course they could. it wouldnt make them very popular on the political battlefield but they are choosing to enforce because of political pressure. none of the recent BS has come from our government but they dont have the guts to stand up against any of it
scanny77:
of course they could. it wouldnt make them very popular on the political battlefield but they are choosing to enforce because of political pressure. none of the recent BS has come from our government but they dont have the guts to stand up against any of it
Listen, you really need to get a grasp of how this all works. Its nothing to do with political pressure, its nothing to do with battle fields. The EU do not make regulations for just some countries,or whoever wants to participate, they make them for the whole EU. The whole of the UK & Eire is a part of the EU, there is not one mainstream party who is anti EU. Gordon Brown recently ratified the treaty with the EU as did Eire after their second vote, (they didnt vote correctly the first time ). This had the effect of giving the EU further powers over UK legislation. There ya have it !!
TTX boy:
I told this forum months ago that VOSA were self funded and i was told that i didn’t know
what i was on about.
I told you all that VOSA will only get money from the fines they dish out.
All the big wigs on here who think they know everything…well you were wrong !
I am sorry to pick on your particular post, but I did it because you are wrong and you didn’t know what you were talking about.
There are dozens of threads on this forum and others about the big bad VOSA. Apart from zippy or geebee45 who seems to have had enough of the bullcrap, they didn’t have a voice. So I asked them outright.
Dear VOSA
Is it true what Scanny and TTX boy told us?
They impressed upon us that VOSA are wholly self funded and the roadside collections and fines go directly to them. They suggested that VOSA inspectors had to make a profit and that they would be looking for anything wrong to make up their wages.
Zippy told us that VOSA fines do not go to them directly which was good enough for me. Until now.
Dear Mr Wheel Nut,
Thank you for your recent enquiry about VOSA finances.
VOSA’s activities are funded through fees and charges with a small amount of additional funding from the DfT’s Single Enforcement Budget. All monies received in respect of roadside deposits and fixed penalties is paid over to Her Majesty’s Treasury. None of the penalty money is retained by VOSA.
Hope that is of some help.
Regards
Karen
Karen Farr
Enforcement Development Manager
VOSA
Tel: 07710 833541
I think Coffeholics quote about bullcrap and percentages said it all anyway
Thank you for your recent enquiry about VOSA finances.
VOSA’s activities are funded through fees and charges with a small amount of additional funding from the DfT’s Single Enforcement Budget. All monies received in respect of roadside deposits and fixed penalties is paid over to Her Majesty’s Treasury.None of the penalty money is retained by VOSA
Hope that is of some help.
Regards
Karen
Karen Farr
Enforcement Development Manager
VOSA
Tel: 07710 833541
do they inspect your ■■■ as well now for any faults or infringments
). This had the effect of giving the EU further powers over UK legislation. There ya have it !!
