Motoring Services Strategy: Response from the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI)

Question 1: Which Agencies do you deal with and how often?
RMI members deal with each of the four agencies: Driving Standards Agency (DSA), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and Vehicle Certification (VCA).
Question 2: Which services have you used in the last 12 months?
The agencies used most by our members are the DVLA and VOSA. The VCA and DSA are used but to a much lesser extent.
Overall reforms
Question 3: Referring to page 15 of the strategy, “Our Guiding Principles” please tell us which of the principles, if any, would help you in our dealings with us?

1.1  When looking at the outlined Guiding Principles we believe that both the principles; rationalising the number of agencies and bodies and working with a broader range of partners would substantially benefit the RMI and its members’ dealings with the four key agencies


Rationalising the number of agencies and bodies

1.2  The RMI hold the view that through rationalising and streamlining the four key agencies of the DfT, this should enable the work carried out by the agencies to be more efficient and effective. The RMI would recommend reducing the roles of the agencies and distributing specific duties to relevant and competent businesses. Overall, the RMI would endorse a process of privatisation and reduction of the agencies.

1.3  Working with a broader range of partners

1.4  The RMI believes that working with a broader range of partners will build on existing successful joint ventures such as the Authorised Testing Facility (ATFs). Furthermore, this will allow business owners to employ their own HGV testers, who will be able to operate to the needs of the business at a site of their convenience. This will provide for more effective utilisation of time and resources for businesses, which will be able to plan around company work schedules as opposed to the working hours of the agencies. Furthermore, this will alleviate some of the workloads of the agencies.

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1.5  Under the current system ATFs cannot test cars, motorbikes or small vans; however the RMI believes that by expanding the ability of ATFs, this would aid businesses in their ability to get drivers on the roads and thus increase business efficiency. Ultimately, the RMI envisions only positive results from expanding into a wider variety of motor servicing outlets.

1.6  The RMI endorses a move away from current direct Government agency work, and would recommend commissioning high quality individual services from a diverse range of providers such as ATFs, Car and Truck dealerships and driving/riding instructors. Dividing the functions of the various agencies, where appropriate, to private businesses, will provide a wider scope for innovation and development of services and create a better value for money service.


Digital Services

Question 4: Will the vision for digital services outlined on page 17 of the strategy help you in your contacts with any of the four Agencies?

1.7  The RMI considers that reforming the services currently available, through the expansion of online services, will ultimately enhance the delivery process and speed of services and thus improve significantly customer satisfaction, automatically alleviating the need to contact the agencies for minor complaints.

1.8  It can be inferred that this will improve relations between customers and agencies and ensure that the agencies can prioritise their time for customers with more complex problems than many of the current complaints, for example the late postage/delivery of required documentation.

1.9  However, it is important to emphasise the need for alternative services. These must be distinct from online services to account for those who do not have the facilities available to them. Alternative suggestions may include; postal services and telephone helplines.

Question 5: We plan to move to greater delivery of services online or by other digital means. Will these changes help you in your dealings with us?

1.10 Following on from the comments above, again, the RMI fully endorses expanding the delivery of online services. Delivering more services on line, will greatly help the automotive industry’s dealings with the various agencies. Online services will provide 24/7 access to each service, allowing for transactions to take place outside standard office hours. Again, this will help with common complaints such as the inability to access services out of hours. However it is important to ensure that any on-line service is easy to access and navigate.

VCA Reforms

Question 6: Do you think the proposals to reform VCA as outlined on page 17 of the strategy will help you and/or the UK economy

1.11 See answers to questions 4 and 5 above.

Question 7: Do you have any suggestions for the future structure of VCA or the range of services it offers?

1.12 The RMI feel that the structure of the VCA must change. The RMI proposes that the roles and duties of the VCA should be carried out by VOSA

1.13 Under the current formation, there is often an overlap in the duties performed by the VCA and VOSA and this causes unnecessary duplications of processes whereby information requirements could be avoided if the work was completed by one agency.


Driving Test

Question 8: Do you support our plans to bring the driving test closer to the customer as outlined on page 17 of the strategy?

1.14 The proposal to pilot driving tests from a wider range of locations and facilities, such as a retail premises, is a positive step. Currently there is a shortage of HGV drivers, which is causing problems for delivery and logistics firms who need to fill vacancies. This skills gap needs to be filled by easier access to both instruction and testing facilities for learner HGV drivers, which the proposals will go some way to achieve. Failure to train more HGV drivers will have a detrimental impact on businesses and the wider UK economy if businesses are unable to supply their fleets with drivers to meet customer demand.

Question 9: How would our plans to bring the driving test closer to the customer affect you as a customer or a business?

1.15 N/A


Vehicle Tests

Question 10: Do you support our plans to reform HGV, bus and coach testing as outlined on page 18 of the strategy?

1.16 .The RMI has a keen interest in the expansion of HGV testing. Our National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) represents franchised commercial vehicle providers and as such, we would fully support expanding joint ventures with the private sector for vehicle testing.

1.17 The expansion of bus, HGV and lorry testing would allow for businesses to employ their own testers, helping to provide flexible testing times. This will reduce the amount of ‘down time’ that is experienced by fleet operators when vehicles need to be taken off the road for testing. It would allow fleets to schedule testing at their quietest times such as during the night.

Question 11: How do you think our plans to reform HGV, bus and coach testing will affect road safety?

1.18 The RMI does not believe that road safety will be altered as a result of expanding vehicle testing. Providing that spot checks/test assessments are carried out on an annual or bi-annual basis. Testing efficiency can be monitored and thus regulated to ensure vehicles are at the required standard and testers are not lenient when examining. This will ensure standards are upheld to the required level and road safety is maintained at the necessary standard.

Question 12: How do you think our plans to reform HGV, bus and coach testing will affect convenience for customers and businesses?

1.19 Increasing the locations at which vehicles can be tested, will provide greater flexibility for businesses that are often limited as to when they can have a test performed. This is due to restrictive business hours and inconveniently located testing sites. This will prevent the burdensome cost of travel that businesses may incur to send vehicles to the testing sites.

Question 13: How do you think our plans to reform HGV, bus and coach testing will affect red tape for customers and businesses?

1.20 N/A.

Question 14: Do you have any comments on our plans to reform HGV, bus and coach testing?

1.21 Additionally, the RMI would like to state that any changes made to testing must be discussed openly with the industry and articulated clearly. This will aid compliance and ensure that safety procedures and regulations are met to the required standards.

1.22 Furthermore, training and guidelines should be provided to businesses who wish to employ/train their own staff members. This will ensure that facilities, expertise and standards are kept to the level required and are obtainable and consistency within testing is sustained on a national scale.

Agency Organisation

Question 15: Do you agree with our outline proposals for defining our organisations to deliver better services as outlined on page 18 of the strategy?

1.23 The RMI is in support of changes to the organisations and the proposals to define each agency role. It is agreed that through streamlining the agency duties and functions and removing the current crossover in responsibilities, efficiency will be improved and cost reduced for each agency.

1.24 Moreover, this will improve the relationships between agencies and their customers. Customers are often frustrated by the requirement to repeat processes and provide the same information to each agency, which can be time consuming as a process. This will avoid roles and functions being repeated by agencies which can also cause confusion for customers when knowing who to contact for their various needs. For example, currently the statistical analysis work carried out by the VCA is similar to the work provided for by VOSA.

Question 16: Do you have any comments on our plans to re-define organisational boundaries?

1.25 See above.

Additional Comments

Question 17: Do you have any other comments on how we can improve our service to you?

1.26 The services provided would be significantly improved, if information could be shared between organisations or held within one database that each organisation had access to. This would prevent the time consuming processes of providing the same information and would improve efficiency as access to information would be easier to obtain.

1.27 RMI are in favour of the abolition of tax discs in vehicles. The delay between a customer purchasing a car and receiving a tax disc can be long and places an additional administrative burden on the motorist. With the current number-plate recognition cameras, which check untaxed vehicles using number plates rather than the discs, the need for a motorist to display a disc is no longer required. The administration of tax discs therefore represent an unjustifiable cost to the DVLA in a climate where departmental budgets and services are being cut.

Question 18: Do you have any other comments on our approach as outlined in the strategy?

1.28 We have no further comments.