Why we need to stand up for the MOT

There are almost 39 million vehicles on UK roads, whether passenger or commercial, transporting people and produce. They keep the country’s economy moving and will help us bounce back from the pandemic.

Keeping those vehicles roadworthy is an enormous part of what our industry does. And that makes the MOT sector vital. It’s also an incredibly important income stream for many businesses.

But there is pressure building in the MOT sector that needs to be addressed. And quickly.

Test centres have seen a huge increase in their workload because of the government’s MOT extension in 2020. The DVSA’s figures bear that out. In August last year – when the extension ended – an additional 310,000 tests were carried out as motorists began to rush into businesses to get vehicles checked.

It’s great that motorists want to have their vehicles MOT’d, but with workplace restrictions still potentially limiting the number of technicians able to work, a big bottleneck could become worse. And that’s before mentioning the looming annual training and assessment deadline.

I was relieved the DVSA extended the assessment cut-off to 30 April 2021. But the problem is that MOT technicians, already under considerable pressure, may wait until the last minute to take their assessment. And with a higher pass mark of 80% needed this year, they won’t have time to retake and pass.

That could potentially mean even fewer MOT testers to service an enormous number of vehicles; the possibility of lost income for businesses; and the knock-on effect on road safety.

The IMI understands the challenges facing the sector, and we’re set up to help. 

The IMI MOT Training and Assessment e-Learning package is flexible and the 3-hour training module can be completed in bite-size chunks. Uniquely it also gives technicians the opportunity to retake the assessment up to three times. This is helpful considering the higher pass mark needed.

Work pressure should ease significantly as the anniversary of the MOT extension comes around again and with the 1 month extension granted by the DVSA, along with the flexible solutions offered by the IMI, there should be no reason why all MOT testers cannot successfully complete their annual assessments by the due date of 30th April.

If you need help, support or need questions answered please get in touch. We’re available on +44 (0)1992 519025, or send emails to hello@theimi.org.uk.