Updates to Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness

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The Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness has been updated and released on 5 November 2024 (but dated October 2024).

Jared Dunbar outlines the latest changes to help you maintain compliance below:

  1. Advice on outsourcing maintenance work has been added to Section ‘5. Safety inspections and repair facilities’
  2. Guidance on using a decelerometer has been added to Section ‘5.3 Braking performance assessment’
  3. A new section has been added: Section ‘5.3a Braking performance assessment from April 2025’.
  4. More guidance on how to use EBPMS has been added to Section ‘5.4 electronic braking performance monitoring system (EBPMS)’
  5. An update to Section ‘6.2 What happens at the end of the test’ to show that test certificates are no longer printed out when a vehicle passes a test.
  6. An example risk assessment has been added to ‘Annex 7 performance risk assessment’.

Brake testing

The guide highlights that to follow best practice and comply with legislation there is an expectation that every safety inspection will include a brake performance assessment using either an RBT, a suitable electronic brake performance monitoring system (EBPMS) or a decelerometer with temperature readings.

If EBPMS is not used, it is expected there is a minimum of four laden brake tests spread evenly across the year. This can include the annual test.

Brake Test Risk Assessments

However, the brake testing guidance now highlights that where a laden brake test is not carried out, a risk assessment, detailing the reasons, must be completed by a competent person who understands braking systems and components.

The risk assessment must be evaluated as part of the safety inspection to confirm that it is still relevant and reviewed every 12 months.

The risk assessment should consider the following:

  • Age and type of vehicle
  • Recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer
  • Nature of the vehicle’s load, the equipment, and fittings it carries or supports
  • Type and range of operations on which the vehicle is likely to be engaged
  • Type of terrain and the nature of the environment in which the vehicle operates or is likely to operate
  • Distance and speeds at which the vehicle travels and the journey times.
  • Previous inspection brake performance results.
  • Previous inspection brake system and component condition.
  • Acceptable reasons for not carrying out a laden brake assessment

For advice on maintaining compliance, contact Jared Dunbar today.