The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) has called on MOT testers to stay compliant, and to continue to legally carry out MOT tests on vehicles by prioritising their annual assessment.
The MOT tester Annual Assessment deadline is due on 31st March 2022. Although the DVSA has confirmed it will not be extending the annual training year this year, DVSA data has revealed that approximately 50,000 testers have yet to complete their Annual Assessment.
Chris Price, Head of MOT policy at the DVSA, said: “For the past couple of years, we have extended the annual training year in order to help the industry recover from Covid 19, however this year things are much improved, and we will not be extending the annual training year. Therefore, if you have not completed this year’s annual training by midnight Thursday 31 March 2022 you will be suspended from testing.”
The IMI’s MOT Training and Assessment package has been designed to fit into a tester’s hectic workload, offering a 3-hour e-Learning training module that can be completed in bite-size chunks at their convenience.
It also gives testers the opportunity to take the assessment twice if they’re not happy with their score after their first attempt. This is particularly important as the DVSA now requires a pass rate of 80%.
The IMI will also be running its annual MOT training and assessment webinar in February to help MOT testers ensure they are in a strong position to pass their assessment. In partnership with Chris, the webinar – ‘MOT Made Manageable’ – will take place on 10th February at 15.00 GMT.
Steve Scofield, Head of Business Development at the IMI, said: “The workload of MOT testers remained heavy throughout 2021 as the nation juggled lockdowns, further restrictions and absenteeism as a result of the pandemic. And this has continued into 2022, with many still working full throttle to ensure their customer MOT renewals are met in time.
“The knock-on effect is that prioritising the MOT tester Annual Assessment is falling short; the DVSA reports that nearly 50,000 testers have yet to complete their assessment, despite the deadline being less than nine weeks away. And the reality is that if an MOT tester fails to meet the MOT Annual Assessment deadline of 31st March, they will not be able to legally conduct any MOT work from the 1st April onwards, until training and assessment has been carried out. Indeed, they will need to be able to competently demonstrate to a DVSA representative their ability to carry out an MOT assessment on a vehicle, which will be conducted face-to-face at the tester’s place of work. In short, failing to complete the assessment in time could have serious consequences both for garage income and road safety.”
Once the IMI MOT Training and Assessment is completed, MOT testers will receive free membership to the IMI by opting-in.Plus, they have access to the IMI community to utilise resources to continue their learning plus tips and tools.
