Coronavirus: dangerous goods vehicle (ADR) annual inspections

01 April 2020

DVSA have announced that dangerous goods vehicle (ADR) annual inspections have been suspended from 21 March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

If your annual inspection is due and you wish to continue transporting dangerous goods you will need to apply for a waiver and follow certain rules.

Applying for a waiver:

To be eligible your vehicle must be registered in Great Britain and either have a current ADR1C dangerous goods certificate which expires on or after 21 March 2020 or be a new vehicle that entered service within the last year under authorisation 476.

Certain vehicles will not be eligible for a waiver and will need to be approved to carry dangerous goods. You can apply for an ADR road vehicle certification test here. The following vehicles are not eligible for a waiver:

·        new non-type approved dangerous goods vehicles being put into service for the first time

·        vehicles where the details on the ADR1C document have changed – for example, a change of owner or the products it’s allowed to carry

·        dangerous goods vehicles which are not covered by The Goods Vehicles (Plating and Testing) Regulations 1988 – for example, a vehicle or trailer with a gross weight of less than 3.5 tonnes

To apply for a waiver you will need to check your ADR1C certificate for the expiration date. You will then need to complete the application for ADR annual inspection waiver, which can be found here.  Once completed, this form must be emailed to adrbooking@dvsa.gov.uk 10 working days before your authorisation runs out.

Rules for using a waiver:

You must, at all times, carry a copy of the waiver confirmation email from DVSA and the authorisation certificate. Failure to do so could result in a deferred prohibition notice.

You must also follow the usual rules for transporting dangerous goods, including:

·        the required equipment and equipment for personal protection must carried on the vehicle and available to use

·        the vehicle must have the correct number and size of serviceable fire extinguishers

·        the driver must carry the right documents, including instructions in writing, transport documents and drivers’ training certificate

·         the required vehicle documents must be in the vehicle

Further guidance on transporting dangerous goods is available here.

Contact the Regulatory team on 01254 828300 or regulatory@backhouses.co.uk for more information.