Self-test snub could compromise Earned Recognition scheme, says Logistics UK
Thursday 03 July 2025
The announcement that the DfT will not modify heavy vehicle testing and allow Earned Recognition accredited operators to perform annual vehicle tests, through ‘delegated testing’, will be met with disappointment and frustration says Logistics UK’s Head of Engineering Policy, Phil Lloyd:
“Delegated testing has always been the main incentive in which operators were encouraged to adopt the Earned Recognition (ER) scheme, so for the government to dismiss the option out of hand is hugely disappointing and frustrating.
“The industry is united that delegated testing would deliver flexibility and efficiencies for transport operators without compromising safety, and the expectation has always been that self-certification would operate at a standard significantly higher than the voluntary arrangements currently found in the maintenance sector.
“The promised benefits of Earned Recognition need to materialise soon, and Logistics UK will continue working with the DfT and DVSA to support the initiative, but decisions like this will make the scheme less attractive for operators.”
Logistics UK is one of the UK’s biggest business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With decarbonisation, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, water and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, please visit logistics.org.uk
