Maintenance & inspection
What is the annual test (MOT) for HGVs and PSVs?
The annual test is the statutory roadworthiness test that heavy goods vehicles, trailers and passenger vehicles must pass each year. It is a check on one day, not a substitute for a maintenance system.
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<img src="https://fleetoptix.co.uk/glossary/annual-test/diagram.svg" alt="annual test — diagram from FleetOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
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<a href="https://fleetoptix.co.uk/glossary/annual-test">What is the annual test (MOT) for HGVs and PSVs?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://fleetoptix.co.uk">FleetOptix</a>
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</figure>It is conducted to a published inspection manual, and the result is public in a way an operator's own inspections are not. First-time pass rate is therefore read as a proxy for the quality of the maintenance regime behind it.
A vehicle presented and failed is a more informative event than a vehicle passed. Failures cluster: the same items failing across a fleet point at a gap in the inspection list or at an interval that is too long.
Preparation before the test is legitimate and expected. Preparing only before the test is the problem, because it produces a fleet that is roadworthy annually and unmonitored for the rest of the year.
What goes wrong in practice
- A fleet with a poor first-time pass rate and no analysis of what is failing.
- Test dates managed by whoever notices them rather than planned alongside the inspection schedule.
- Preparation work done before the test but never fed back into the inspection list that missed it.