Changes to Brake Testing For 2025 | MV Commercial

The processes and practises regarding brake testing are changing for 2025.

Here’s what is changing:

Section 5.3a in the latest version of ‘Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness’ outlines how best practice should be used to ensure the braking systems on all HGV’s is evaluated to ensure optimum performance and road safety is achieved.

From 1st April 2025 DVSA propose a more comprehensive approach to how laden brake testing should be carried out, along with how the brake test performance and system is assessed.

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 4 laden brake tests spread evenly across the year, this can include the annual test.

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 its components.

There must be an evaluation of the vehicle/trailer performance report before every safety inspection by a competent person who can interpret the data. The evaluation must be signed, dated, and attached to the vehicle record together with the perfor-mance data report. The evaluation and data report may be a single document.

To allow flexibility vehicles can be presented for brake testing up to 14 days before the safety inspection date. A copy of the brake report must be available at the time of the safety inspection.

There are some acceptable reasons for not carrying out a laden brake assessment, here are some examples. In every case a risk assessment must be completed and kept in the vehicle file along with the safety inspection report. These need to be kept for a minimum of 15 months and must be reviewed annually, as well as prior to every safety inspection being carried out.

Unladen Tri-axle Semi-Trailer (ULTAST)
Vehicles where under normal operating conditions (more than 70% of the time) run at less than 65% of the permitted axle weights. This may include car transporters where they are designed for that specific task.
ADR – Only when the load is considered dangerous and specialist facilities are not available.
Livestock carriers – Where other means of loading are not possible.
#Noxious load carriers – Only when designed and constructed for this purpose.
Furniture removal vehicles – Only when designed and constructed as a furniture removal vehicle.
Vehicles operating at 50% or more of permitted axle weights when unladen – This could include fixed plant, mobile libraries, compactor vehicles, exhibition type vehicles, bullion vehicles
PSV – Includes prisoner transfer vehicles.
Where the construction or weight prevent the use of an RBT

At MV Commercial we take safety extremely seriously the benefits this new practice will have in attaining an increased level of road safety is warmly welcomed. As a customer focused organisation, we will be working with our valued customers to ensure they re-main compliant.

To achieve this we have a number of options to offer, to give the best options to suit our customers operational needs.

We will schedule and carry out the 4 mandatory laden brake test per annum. This being our recommended minimum standard. (Vehicles can be presented laden to its safety Inspection—where possible, or a date up 14 days prior can be arranged to save complications of loading vehicle specifically)
At the customers request, we can increase the frequency of the laden brake tests being conducted to any specific request. (Conditions apply)
Operations falling into the acceptable categories where fully laden brake tests are not possible can complete a risk assessment. (Each risk assessment should justify why there is an exempt ion, follow the full criteria laid out in ‘GTMR’, reviewed annually or when there is a change in the vehicles operation and be kept for a minimum of 15 months)

A member of our Operations Team will be in touch to discuss these Options, so we can plan and cover off any potential cost implications.

We are dedicated to making the implementation of this new best practice as smooth as possible for our customers. Our staff are on hand to help and advise where needed, fur-ther strengthening and evolving our partnership together.

For more information about Changes to Brake Testing for 2025, you can reach us on Maintenance@mvcommercial.co.uk