Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

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Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
Abbreviation	VOSA
Logo of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
Agency Overview
Formed	April 3, 2003[1]
Preceding agencies	Vehicle Inspectorate Traffic Area Network
Annual Budget	£197 million [2]
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional Structure
National agency (Operations jurisdiction)	UK
Legal jurisdiction	England, Wales and Scotland
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian agency
Operational Structure
Elected officer responsible	Jim Fitzpatrick MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Agency executive	Stephen Tetlow[3], Chief Executive
Parent agency	Department for Transport
Website
http://www.vosa.gov.uk

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is a non-departmental public body granted Trading Fund status in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom Government.

History

The Agency was created from the merger of the Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) and the Traffic Area Network (TAN). The public are most aware of its activities through its regulation of the MOT vehicle inspection test in Great Britain. VOSA are generally better known by commercial vehicle operators as "The Ministry" a throwback to the days of the former Ministry of Transport (MOT). In Northern Ireland this role is performed by the Driver & Vehicle Agency.

In 2005 it had approximately 2,500 staff, 1,700 of which are based at its lorry testing stations across the United Kingdom.

Privatisation proposal

A project to privatise the Agency was rejected by the Government in late 2008. Since then its Director, Stephen Tetlow, resigned. In early 2009 financial difficulties came to light leaving the Agency several million pounds in debt.

Currently the Agency is attempting to sell the majority its estate. It intends to use ATFs (Authorised Test Stations), privately run stations using VOSA staff to test vehicles. It has closed 3 test stations and intends to close another in 2010.

Enforcement charges

Its examiners will be granted the ability to issue fixed penalty tickets from 1 April 2009. This will cover a range of offences including breaches of drivers hours legislation, and also mechanical defects. These tickets can be issued to both UK and foreign nationals.

Intent

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• To improve road safety and the environment and safeguard fair competition by promoting and enforcing compliance with commercial operator licensing requirements;
• Processing applications for licences to operate lorries and buses;
• Registering bus services;
• Operating and administering testing schemes for all vehicles, including the supervision of the MOT Testing Scheme;
• Enforcing the law on vehicles to ensure that they comply with legal standards and regulations;
• Enforcing drivers’ hours and licensing requirements;
• Providing training and advice for commercial operators; and
• Investigating vehicle accidents, defects and recalls.

Customers

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• The Road Haulage and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) industries;
• Trade associations;
• Vehicle manufacturers;
• MOT garages; and
• Offenders and Defendants

Powers to stop vehicles

Under the Police Reform Act 2002, section 41 and Schedule 5,^[4] a Chief Constable can grant powers (under a Community Safety Accreditation Scheme) to VOSA officers to stop vehicles, for checks on vehicle and driver compliance without the need for police support (now expanded to stop any vehicle, although mainly goods and passenger carrying vehicles). Previously only police officers had the power to stop vehicles and therefore had to be present. The powers were piloted in 2003 and brought more widely into force in 2004.^[5]

VOSA Vehicles

VOSA employ a fleet of Ford Galaxcy vehicles in black and yellow battenburg livery and clearly marked with with "VOSA" on the rear.These are fitted with amber lightbars on the roof. This is a similary livery to that of the Highways Agency (HA) traffic officer service.

See also

• Weighbridge
• MOT test
• TransXChange format for UK electronic bus schedule registration

References

External links

• VOSA home