Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom Government. 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. 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 operational locations across the United Kingdom.

Intent

* 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

* The Road Haulage and Public Service Vehicle (PSV) industries;
* Trade associations;
* Vehicle manufacturers;
* MOT garages; and
* The public.

Powers to stop vehicles

Under the Police Reform Act 2002, section 41 and Schedule 5, [UK-SLD|112639|Police Reform Act 2002] a Chief Constable can grant powers (under a Community Safety Accreditation Scheme) to VOSA officers to stop lorries for checks on vehicle and driver compliance without the need for police support. 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. [ [http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/newsandevents/pressreleases/2004pressreleases/29-07-04ministerlaunchesvosaspowertostop.htm Minister launches VOSA's Power to Stop] , VOSA press release, 29 July 2004]

External links

* [http://www.vosa.gov.uk/ VOSA home]
* [http://www.weighbridges.com/ Griffith Elder Weighbridges to check all vehicle weights to prevent overloading offences]

ee also

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

Notes