Tyres 10 years and older illegal from 1 February 2021
03 November 2020
On 15 July 2020, the Government announced that tyres aged 10 years and older will be banned on the front axles of lorries, buses and coaches (read our previous article here).
The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations will now come into force on 1 February 2021 and, from that date, it will be illegal to fit tyres aged 10 years or older to:
- the front axle of a goods vehicle with a maximum gross weight exceeding 3,500 kg
- the front axle of a bus or coach – including minibuses
- the rear axle of a minibus with single rear wheels fitted
The change in the law means that tyres aged 10 years and older will become a failure item at annual test and will result in the issue of an ‘S’ marked prohibition notice at the roadside (which will adversely affect your OCRS score, lead to a DVSA investigation and potentially a referral to a Public Inquiry before the Traffic Commissioner for consideration of action against your Operator’s Licence).
DVSA are to publish updates to the Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, Categorisation of Defects and MOT Inspection Manual before the new legislation comes into force and operators should familiarise themselves with these updates in due course.
Operators should also conduct an audit of their tyres (including any spare tyres they may have) and review their tyre management policies in anticipation of the changes. They should also make drivers, workshop staff and tyre contractors aware of the new requirements and their expectations in this regard.
For further information, contact Backhouse Jones’ Regulatory team on regulatory@backhouses.co.uk or call 01254 828300.
