The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is warning operators and drivers of HGVs over 12 tonnes (GVW) entering Greater London, that from 1 March they must meet the capital’s Direct Vision Standard (DVS) rules or face £550 fines for each journey. The Greater London area covers most of the area within the M25 motorway.

To avoid the fine operators must register their vehicles with Transport for London (TfL) by 1 March, hold a valid Safety Permit for each of them or have written confirmation from TfL that their vehicles have been accepted on its ‘allow list’.

TfL will also fine drivers £130 for every non-compliant journey after 1 March.

The RHA says that operators unable to comply with the requirements must assume they will incur fines if they enter the Greater London area.

The recently launched ‘allow list’ grants operators a 90-day grace period to comply with DVS safety requirements. Firms must provide evidence of applications or planned installation arrangements when applying before 1 March.

The RHA, along with other groups, has made the case that operators are struggling to comply with the new rules, particularly as COVID-19 has hit the supply and fitment of DVS retrofit parts.

An RHA spokesperson said, “We continue to call on TfL for a longer grace period to give operators adequate time to comply, and we’re urging for clarification from officials as we believe that ‘allow list’ rules are too limited and not clear enough. Our position remains that vehicle standards should not be regulated by local authorities. They should be set at national and international levels to ensure consistency, effectiveness, compliance and the best safety outcomes.”

See TfL’s Direct Vision Standard and HGV Safety Permit page for more information.