Braking performance assessment requirements from April 2025

In a significant move to enhance road safety, the UK’s Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has announced that, effective April 2025, there is an expectation that every safety inspection will include a brake performance assessment using either an RBT, a suitable electronic brake performance monitoring system (EBPMS) or a decelerometer with temperature readings. If EBPMS is not used it is expected there is a minimum of four laden brake tests spread evenly across the year, this can include the annual test.

Acceptable reasons for not carrying out a laden brake assessment.

Vehicles where laden brake assessments may not be possible or where additional loading would be difficult are listed below (this is not an exhaustive list), however there is an expectation that at least four of the assessments will use an RBT unless the construction or weight of the vehicle prevents its use.

Vehicles where under normal operating conditions (more than 70% of the time) run at less than 65% of the permitted axle weights. This may include car transporters where they are designed for that specific task
Furniture removal vehicles – Only when designed and constructed as a furniture removal vehicle
ADR – Only when the load is considered dangerous and specialist facilities are not available
Vehicles operating at 50% or more of permitted axle weights when unladen – This could include fixed plant, mobile libraries, compactor vehicles, exhibition type vehicles, bullion vehicles, etc.

Where a laden brake test is not carried out a risk assessment detailing the reasons, must be completed by a competent person who understands braking systems and its components at every safety inspection.

There must be an evaluation of the vehicle/ trailer performance report before every safety inspection by a competent person who can interpret the data. The evaluation must be signed, dated, and attached to the vehicle record together with the performance data report. The evaluation and data report may be a single document.

To allow flexibility vehicles can be presented for brake testing up to 14 days before the safety inspection date; this allows the operator to conduct a laden brake test during the vehicle/trailer normal activities without the need to specially load it.

Reliable brake testing is crucial to ensure road safety, helping to identify any potential brake issues that may lead to accidents on the road, minimising risks to the HGV drivers and other road users.

What does this update mean for you?

To follow best practice and comply with the proposed new legislation, the DVSA expect that with every safety inspection a brake performance assessment is completed with an RBT, suitable electronic brake performance monitoring system (EBPMS) or using a decelerometer and taking temperature readings as the sole method for evaluating brake performance.

In some cases, a loaded brake test may be impractical. As such, if a vehicle or trailer consistently operates under specific conditions, exemptions may apply. Examples include:

ADR vehicles: when the load is considered dangerous, and specialist facilities are unavailable.
Livestock carriers: when recreating the load is not possible.
Noxious load carriers: only if the vehicle is specifically designed for this purpose.
Furniture removal vehicles: only if the vehicle is specifically designed for this purpose.
Public service vehicles: this includes prisoner transfer vehicles.
Vehicles that operate at 50% or more of permitted axle weight when unladen. This could include fixed plant, mobile libraries, compactor vehicles or bullion transport vehicles.
Vehicles that more than 70% of the time run at less than 65% of the permitted axle weights, these may include car transporters or unladen tri-axle semi-trailers.

For businesses running vehicles not fitted with an EBPMS (currently only available on trailers) or exempt, a minimum of four laden RBT assessments are required, these are to be spread evenly across the year and include the existing requirement to conduct a RBT at each MOT test. To ensure minimal disruption, these tests can be completed as early as 14 days before the next safety inspection date.

A risk assessment (example here) must be available to support every safety inspection where a laden brake test is not completed. The operator will still be responsible for a risk assessment is in place to justify any exemption. This assessment should be:

Available to review during every safety inspection.

Updated annually, or whenever there is a change in vehicle use.

Retained with vehicle maintenance documents for 15 months.

What Should Our Customers Do?

At Mac’s Truck Rental, we are dedicated to providing safe and roadworthy vehicles to our customers and as part of this dedication we will be working with our customers to ensure they re-main compliant.

To achieve this, we will continue to complete our standard 4 laden RBTs per year across our managed fleets, while supporting our customers’ unique operational needs but will offer an increase in the frequency of the laden brake tests being conducted at the customer’s request. (Conditions apply).

We will be available to assist our customers, offering advice on how the new requirements affect their operations, any potential cost implications and providing information on keeping their own fleet in compliance.

For more information on the Braking performance assessment requirements from April 2025 and further reading please see below links.

Guide to maintaining roadworthiness: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6751b5d044885d072cecbd62/guide-to-maintaining-roadworthiness-commercial-goods-and-public-service-vehicles.pdf

Brake test risk assessment: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67362fbaf6920bfb5abc7bc1/annex-7-example-of-a-brake-assessment-risk-assessment-template.pdf

Understanding your HGV or trailer’s brake test report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understanding-your-hgv-or-trailers-brake-test-report/understanding-your-hgv-or-trailers-brake-test-report

EBPMS Industry Standard Specification:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electronic-braking-performance-monitoring-systems/electronic-braking-performance-monitoring-system-ebpms-industry-standard-specification

HGV rental costs truck from Macs truck rental

Fill in your details below to get more information from the team at Mac’s Truck Rental, whether you’re looking into contract hire or simply want to know more about one of our trucks.

Undoubtedly, vehicle costs are one of the largest overheads for business. Therefore, reducing this cost in any way is often one of a fleet operators biggest goals. However, every business is different, and decisions often need to be made around current situations, business needs, and future business goals. It is often vital for a company to weigh up not only the HGV rental costs but also the performance and maintenance required. Understanding the whole Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) often involves negotiation and flexibility.

If you have decided to buy a new truck for your business but are unsure if you can afford to pay for it outright, then truck rental could be for you. Commercial truck and lorry hire is ideal for companies who want to increase, upgrade, or renew their commercial vehicles at the lowest possible cost. This involves spreading the cost over an agreed period of time through set monthly installments.

As with anything, there are pros and cons to both renting a lorry or truck and purchasing for your business finance. When considering hiring a commercial truck, here are the benefits that your business can gain from compared to purchasing a truck outright.

Benefits of hiring a truck

Low initial capital expenditure – Spreading the cost over a monthly basis means you can hire the truck and lorry you need without spending the full amount it’s worth straightaway.

Bespoke to your business – You can arrange personalised bespoke truck rental prices that suit you and your business needs. No hidden costs and terms that work for the companies goals and future plans.

Maintenance and breakdown are covered – At Mac’s Truck Rental we cover any issues you have with your trucks. Although rigorous testing occurs before we hire any of our trucks, issues can arise. We will fix these for you meaning no further costs or long-term downtime.

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Options at the end – At the end of your short or long-term truck hire, you will have the option of either buying the truck outright or returning it and hiring a new truck.

Why choose Mac’s Truck Rental as your truck hire company?

We are the UK’s leading HGV truck and lorry rental company. We have helped businesses across the UK and within different industries gain access to high-quality commercial trucks. This has enabled many businesses to continue running through some of our toughest financial years. With high truck driver shortages maybe, your company is expanding as a reaction to rising demand and increased lead times. Our team of experienced individuals means we are perfectly placed within the industry to help and advise you on your truck rental options.

As a family-run business with over 50 years of experience, we can truly offer you peace of mind. Whether you are looking for a bespoke custom-made build to suit your business needs or high-quality used trucks we have the ideal truck rental price for you. All of our trucks, bespoke or not are fully maintained and each has to pass robust tests. This includes servicing, inspections, and all the relevant certifications required for your vehicle. All of which ensures you receive the lowest cost truck and lorry hire. Furthermore, we offer a range of vehicles from top manufacturers including Scania, Volvo, Mercedes, FASSI, and DAF.

Whether you’re looking for a beavertail hire, skip lorry hire, crane truck hire, or hook loader hire we have a wide selection of trucks suitable for a range of industries. No matter what the size of the job for instance 7.5-tonne lorry hire we have the right solution for you. Contact us today to go through all your truck hire needs.