Fleets failing to adhere to new truck safety rules face £550 fine

New, tougher minimum safety requirements for vehicles entering London come into force today (Monday, October 28).

Transport for London (TfL) has strengthened the rules for the Direct Vision Standard (DVS), which measures how much the driver of a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) can see directly through their cab windows.

HGVs more than 12 tonnes will now require a minimum three-star DVS rating or to fit an updated system of enhanced safety features - the Progressive Safe System (PSS) - to operate in Greater London.

Operators will receive a penalty charge notice of up to £550 if they operate an HGV over 12 tonnes in Greater London without a valid HGV safety permit, or do not meet the permit conditions.

The DVS and HGV Safety Permit Scheme is a key part of the Mayor of London's Vision Zero plan to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries on London's transport network, and this next phase of the scheme harnesses new technology to make London’s roads safer.

The PSS has been designed specifically to eliminate the most common causes of fatal collisions between an HGV and those who walk and cycle where vision is a factor, such as when a vehicle moves off from stationary or is turning left.

Christina Calderato, TfL’s director of strategy, said: “Since we introduced London’s pioneering Direct Vision Standard, we have seen a significant reduction in fatal collisions where vision is a factor in the capital.

“However, there is much more we need to do, to achieve our goal of eradicating deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network.

“It’s vital that all vehicles using London’s roads have safety at the forefront of their design and we're excited that from today HGVs operating in the capital will become even safer.”

She added: “We’d also like to thank the freight industry for their work helping to ensure that vehicles fit the new safety requirements.”

In 2023, TfL data shows that there was a 62% reduction in the number of fatal collisions involving an HGV, compared to the 2017-19 baseline, as well as reductions in serious injuries.

However, six people were still killed and 32 people were seriously injured in collisions involving HGVs in 2023.

Andrew Cox, managing director of FM Conway, said: “As a key infrastructure services provider across London, our vehicles spend a lot of time on the capital's streets.

“The bigger the vehicle, the bigger the challenge is to establish clear visibility for drivers to prevent collisions and accidents.

“TfL’s DVS and its latest Progressive Safe System update, makes sure the largest vehicles operating on the network can do so safely, with driver and technology working in tandem to pre-emptively predict and avoid incidents.

“Health and safety should be a core value for any HGV operator, and TfL with their Vision Zero strategy are making sure that we are making the capital a safer place.”

TfL’s DVS has been developed in close consultation with the freight industry and vehicle manufacturers.

The current Safe System of additional safety measures was developed and consulted on in 2018, and reviewed by TfL in 2022 to reflect new equipment and technologies available on the market.

The consultation showed more than 55% for the principles of DVS, the HGV Safety Permit Scheme and the principles underpinning the PSS.

TfL says it has also worked closely with the freight industry to monitor hauliers’ readiness to fit PSS measures ahead of the new requirements coming in.

In order to give the industry sufficient time to buy, fit, and test any new safety equipment in line with the new PSS, operators were able to apply for a six-month grace period before the standards were tightened this week.