New Zealand’s heavy vehicle testing rated ‘world class’

by Press Release on 2010-09-21

Independent research into Certificate of Fitness testing of heavy vehicles in New Zealand shows that New Zealand’s testing regime is world class.

The research, carried out for the NZ Transport Agency, found that “overall the level of service provided by vehicle testing stations [is] comparable with the best provided overseas”. This was seen across all three key areas of the inspection process:

1. The price of the inspection compares “favourably” against commercial vehicle inspection services in other international jurisdictions. “Waiting times and travel distances are low by world standards and hence costs associated with these are also low,” the report states.

2. The geographic coverage of testing locations is “very good”, particularly when taking into account the low population density.

3. The level of service, including customer waiting times, is “comparable with the best” provided overseas.

Mike Walsh, Chief Executive of VTNZ, is encouraged by the results. “We have every confidence in our heavy vehicle inspection process, so these results are testament to the high standard we have in place across all of our testing stations,” he says.

“In addition to this, the fact that VTNZ has satellite “offsites” to inspect heavy vehicles in the more rural areas would have helped boost the pleasing geographic coverage result,” says Mr Walsh.

The research also assessed testing regimes in other countries, and found that independence from repairers was an important attribute in delivering greater levels of road safety. A comparison between Ireland and the United Kingdom highlighted an alarming difference in roadworthiness of vehicles: Ireland has repairers carrying out the inspection and, when those vehicles are stopped in England, the number of faults is much higher than the British tested vehicles, which are carried out via an independent testing process. It concluded that moving away from the independent testing model in New Zealand could negatively impact both price and coverage which, in turn, would negatively impact road safety.

It also found that having an independent testing regime is important for the data requirements for the Operator Rating System to ensure that all operators are reported on in a consistent manner.

Mr Walsh agrees that independence is vital to ensuring safety is the top priority. “Every driver wants 100% assurance that safety is the main concern of the person inspecting their vehicle. As the largest vehicle inspection company in the country, VTNZ’s focus is ensuring a thorough, independent safety inspection every time.”

VTNZ is also aware that cost is a highly important factor for drivers, so is regularly looking at ways of decreasing compliance costs for heavy vehicle operators and believes these could be further reduced if the NZ Transport Agency looked at small changes in the inspection process. Though it was outside the scope of the study, the report noted VTNZ’s suggestions of ways to improve the efficiency of the inspection process, namely by:

• allowing operators to remedy failures for minor defects without requiring re-checking,

• separating the collection of regulatory compliance data, such as checking dimensions, from the six monthly vehicle safety inspection,
• amending the Vehicle Inspection Requirements Manual (VIRM) to accept less time-consuming test methods.
  
  Mr Walsh is heartened to see these were acknowledged in the report, and is optimistic steps will be made to implement them in future.

The research did suggest a potential testing alternative but also highlighted that it’s difficult to anticipate what would happen with costs and road safety standards if the alternative was introduced. The suggestion was that a combination between the current model (using independent testing organisations such as VTNZ) and “rewarding” good performing operators with the ability to self-regulate could be a future option. However, the report stated that “a more deregulated model is likely to lead to greater inconsistency in the inspection process, poorer compliance and hence a decline in safety”.

Given the inability to predict a positive outcome if this recommendation was taken up, and the fact that the independent review acknowledges New Zealand is performing well compared with other testing models around the world, VTNZ believes that the NZ Transport Agency is likely to stay with the status quo.

“These results are very gratifying. NZTA has every reason to be extremely pleased that the system they have implemented is performing so well against international standards,” says Mr Walsh.

For more information, contact:
Greg O’Connor, General Manager Operations
Ph 04 495 2531
Mbl 027 481 6706
Email greg.oconnor@vtnz.co.nz

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About VTNZ: VTNZ started its life in 1994 as a State Owned Enterprise following a review of the Ministry of Transport. The company was privatised in 1999 and purchased by the Motor Trade Association. New Zealand now has 84 bright orange testing stations carrying out more than 1.3m safety inspections every year. Visit www.vtnz.co.nz for more information