The revised DVSA inspection manuals for HGVs and PSVs took effect on 1 April 2026. They were published on GOV.UK on 19 February 2026, with changed pages marked by a black line in the margin.
This is not a complete rewrite of the annual test. However, several sections now give clearer instructions on how DVSA identifies defects, conditions, tyres, brakes, tachographs and speed limiters.
So, what does this mean for you?
If you are a driver, your walkaround check must identify more than obvious damage. If you are an operator or Transport Manager, your safety inspection records must show that defects were properly classified, reported and closed out.
Here are seven mistakes drivers and operators still make.
1. Treating a “condition” as if it is not a defect
What has changed?
Section 74 has been renamed from “Other dangerous defects” to “Other dangerous defects and conditions”.
The section now explains what a “condition” is. It also gives examples and makes the difference between a defect and a condition clearer.
“Other dangerous defects and conditions”
This means DVSA can consider an unsafe condition, not only a failed component, when deciding whether a vehicle presents an immediate risk.
A damaged body panel, insecure equipment, a serious leak or an unsafe modification may not fit neatly into the name of a familiar component. That does not make it harmless.
What will an auditor ask?
- What did the driver find?
- Was it a defect or a condition?
- Was the vehicle allowed to continue?
- What repair or assessment followed?
- Is there evidence that the issue was closed?
Do not describe everything as “just damage”. That phrase has caused more trouble than it deserves.
2. Assuming “minor” means “no action”
What are the three DVSA classifications?
The revised framework uses three categories.
| Classification | DVSA meaning | Practical response |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | No significant safety or environmental impact | Record it, monitor it and repair it through your system |
| Major | May affect safety or the environment, or is significantly non-compliant | Report promptly and assess whether the vehicle can continue |
| Dangerous | A direct and immediate risk to road safety or the environment | Do not use the vehicle until the risk is dealt with |
A pass can still be recorded if only minor defects are found. That does not mean the defects can be ignored.
Every minor defect must still be recorded on the safety inspection record.
What will an auditor ask?
- Where are your minor defects recorded?
- Who reviewed them?
- When were they repaired?
- Can you show a repeat-defect trend?
- Are drivers consistently using the same reporting standard?
Effective Compliance Training helps drivers understand that “minor” describes the immediate level of risk. It does not mean “optional”.
3. Misreading axle tyre sizes and markings
What should you check?
The 2026 guidance gives clearer information on tyre identification and markings.
- FRT means the tyre is not for a driven or front-steered axle.
- A tyre marked “TRAILER USE ONLY” is for trailers.
- All tyres on an axle must have the same nominal size.
- If a tyre carries dual markings, at least one marking must be the same across the tyres on that axle.
There is also updated guidance on tyre defects and damage for HGVs, buses and trailers.
What is the common mistake?
A driver sees the same overall appearance and assumes the tyres are suitable. That is not enough. A tyre can look fine while being incorrectly positioned or incorrectly matched.
What will an auditor ask?
- Are drivers trained to check tyre markings?
- Are tyre checks recorded clearly?
- Does the inspection process cover trailers as well as the tractor unit?
- Are tread depths measured with a calibrated gauge?
- What happens after a wheel-off incident?
Tyre management systems must monitor tread depths using a calibrated gauge. Clear evidence of a wheel-off incident where no effective system exists, or deliberate modification or removal of a manufacturer’s tyre date code, can now be a reportable trigger.
That is a strong hint from DVSA: tyre management must be measurable, not based on “looks alright from here”.
4. Ignoring tachograph seal and printout changes
What changed in Section 26?
The revised procedure includes guidance for snap-off tachograph seals that have not yet been snapped.
There is also new guidance on digital tachograph printouts. It explains how to identify calibration dates and the correct order in which to select them.
What is the common mistake?
Drivers sometimes treat a seal, calibration date or printout as an administrative detail. It is not. Tachograph evidence helps DVSA establish whether the vehicle and driver are operating within the required rules.
What will an auditor ask?
- Can the driver explain the relevant printout?
- Is the calibration date clear?
- Is the correct printout sequence being used?
- Are damaged or unusual seals reported?
- Can the operator show how the issue was investigated?
Your tachograph training should cover both the practical checks and the records behind them. This is also a useful Driver CPC topic because the best training is the training you can apply before the wheels move.
5. Using stale speed limiter dates
What changed in Section 33?
Historic dated references have been removed from the speed limiter section. The wording has also been updated to reflect the change in the monarch reference.
The technical requirements have not changed.
What is the common mistake?
Drivers and operators keep old notes, old training slides or old vehicle files and use historic dates to decide whether a limiter applies.
That is a risky shortcut. The revised manual removes the need to reach for outdated dates.
What will an auditor ask?
- Which current source do you use?
- Is the vehicle’s limiter status documented?
- Are exemption documents available where relevant?
- Have old instructions been removed from the fleet system?
The sensible approach is simple: use the current DVSA manual and your vehicle records. Do not build a compliance process around something printed years ago and kept in a drawer since the last general election.
6. Assuming a decelerometer is a shortcut on rigids
What changed in the brake guidance?
The service brake pedal, operation and performance sections have been updated. There are also clarifications around vacuum servos and electronic motor assistance units.
The primary brake tester position is clearer:
- Use a roller brake tester where it is suitable.
- If the roller brake tester is unsuitable for the vehicle’s drive configuration, transmission or braking system, a full or partial decelerometer test may be used.
- On a roller brake test, if more than half of the wheels lock, the efficiency requirement for that system is considered met.
There are also important related points:
- Aim for at least three roller brake tests each year in addition to the annual test.
- A decelerometer test on a rigid must include a brake temperature measurement.
- EBPMS can now be used for any vehicle, rather than trailers only.
- The road test option has been removed for brake testing during safety inspections.
What is the common mistake?
A decelerometer is treated as a quick alternative whenever a roller brake test is inconvenient.
It is not a shortcut. The method must be suitable for the vehicle and properly recorded.
What will an auditor ask?
- Why was that brake-testing method selected?
- Was the roller tester unsuitable?
- Was brake temperature measured on the rigid?
- Are annual brake assessments supported by a risk assessment?
- Are results reviewed for deterioration?
Your Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness should sit alongside your inspection and maintenance process.
7. Failing to record minor defects
Why does this mistake keep happening?
Drivers often understand that a dangerous defect must be reported. They may also understand that a major defect needs attention.
Minor defects are where records become untidy.
A worn marker lamp lens, small body damage or another low-risk issue can be dismissed verbally. The driver tells someone. Someone says, “We’ll get it booked in.” Then nobody can prove what happened.
What will an auditor ask?
- Where is the original defect report?
- Was the vehicle safe to continue?
- Who authorised continued use?
- When was the repair completed?
- Does the close-out record match the original defect?
A good safety inspection record should tell the full story. It should not require an auditor to reconstruct events from memory, guesswork and a coffee-stained whiteboard.
A short driver walkaround checklist
Before you drive, ask yourself:
- Tyres and wheels: Are tyres correctly marked, matched and free from serious damage? Are wheel fixings secure?
- Brakes: Are there warning lights, air-pressure problems, leaks or unusual pedal behaviour?
- Tachograph: Are the unit, seals and calibration information in order?
- Body and load: Is anything insecure, damaged or likely to become dangerous?
- Lights and mirrors: Are lamps, lenses, mirrors and cameras secure and working?
- Dashboard messages: Is any safety-related warning showing on the multifunction display?
- Records: Have you recorded every defect, including minor ones?
If you are unsure whether something is minor, major or dangerous, report it and seek an assessment. Guessing is not a compliance system.
What should an operator or Transport Manager do next?
1. Update your inspection forms
Check that your defect reporting process allows drivers to record:
- The location and description of the problem.
- The classification or risk level.
- Whether the vehicle continued in service.
- The action taken.
- The person who authorised the action.
- The repair and close-out date.
2. Brief drivers on the April changes
Do not simply email a link to the manual and hope for the best. Explain the changes using real examples from your fleet.
This is where Compliance Training makes a practical difference. Drivers need to know what to look for. Transport Managers need to know what evidence to expect.
3. Review your brake and tyre systems
Check your brake-testing frequency, decelerometer arrangements, EBPMS records and tyre management process.
Make sure the people carrying out measurements are using calibrated equipment.
4. Ask the auditor questions before the auditor asks you
A Transport Manager should be able to answer:
- Are our defect classifications consistent?
- Do we record minor defects?
- Can we show repair close-outs?
- Are our drivers checking tyre markings?
- Do our tachograph procedures reflect the latest guidance?
- Are our brake tests suitable for each vehicle type?
Our Transport Manager Refresher Course is designed around the questions operators are expected to answer, rather than a presentation that disappears from memory before the kettle boils.
Open Road Training also runs ADR and Driver CPC courses every month, including Driver CPC modules for LGV and PCV drivers, plus Level 3 Tachograph Training with CPC hours. Full Transport Manager CPC courses are available in November 2026.
View the latest course dates or contact us about group and on-site Compliance Training.
Summary: the seven mistakes to eliminate
The April 2026 DVSA inspection manual changes are mainly about clarity and current procedures. Your fleet still needs the same basic discipline: inspect properly, report clearly and repair promptly.
Remember:
- A dangerous condition can be more than a failed component.
- Minor does not mean ignore it.
- Tyre markings and axle matching matter.
- Tachograph seals and printouts need proper attention.
- Old speed limiter dates should not guide current decisions.
- Decelerometers are not a shortcut around suitable brake testing.
- Every minor defect must be recorded.
If your walkaround records would not stand up to a DVSA question, now is the time to improve them.
Open Road Training Ltd provides practical training for drivers, operators and Transport Managers. We are based at 29 Hope Street, Motherwell, ML1 1BS.
Call 01698 598 665 or email info@open-road.org.
