Large vans have highest MoT failure rate of all
Large vans are more likely to fail their MoTs than any other type of vehicle on the road, according to the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.
New statistics published by VOSA, show 44.7% of 3.0 to 3.5-tonners - vehicles that fall into Class 7 for testing purposes – failed their MoT in the 2007/08 year. This compares with 35.2% of cars and small vans – itself a surprisingly high figure.
The top three failure items for these big light commercials were brake problems (cited in 32% of MOT failures), lighting faults (29%) and poor condition of suspension components (15%).
The Retail Motor Industry Federation attributed the high failure rate to a lack of expenditure on maintenance, and said it could fuel demands for the operating license regime that governs heavy truck use to be extended to cover everything from 3.0-tonners upwards.
The poor pass rates could fuel demands for the heavy truck O-licensing regime which at present applies to vehicles grossing at over 3.5 tonnes to be applied to everything over 3.0 tonnes. Should that happen, a poor maintenance record could result in businesses losing their O-licence and being banned from running large vans.
