South Gloucestershire Council

Published: 04/03/2014

The purpose built MOT testing station and tachograph centre is an Authorised Testing Facility (ATF), staffed by the government’s Vehicle Operator Services Agency (VOSA). Based at the council’s Broad Lane depot in Yate, the facility features two dedicated testing lanes along with drive-through facilities. MOTs can be processed quickly, reducing the time a vehicle is off the road.

Working in partnership with VOSA we are able to offer a full range of MOT services including testing heavy goods vehicles (HGV) weighing up to 44 tonnes, all public service vehicles (PSV) and specialist tests such as ADR (carriage of dangerous goods). These will be provided in addition to the class 4, 5 & 7 MOTs that are currently available, catering from cars through to lorries, with the capacity to test up to 16 vehicles per day.

We will additionally be able to provide a full range of tachograph services at the testing station and are able to offer vehicle operators the option to hire loads when carrying out MOT tests. We will also continue to provide an impartial MOT service to the general public.

Commercial vehicle operators previously had to travel to Bristol, Wiltshire or Gloucestershire to access these facilities, so having a dedicated testing station located in South Gloucestershire will benefit a large number of local businesses. The facilities will also help the council to reduce our own mileage, with our fleet of 40 HGV and PSV buses no longer needing to travel offsite for MOT tests.

Cllr Howard Gawler, Vice Chair of South Gloucestershire Council, officially opened the facility. He said: “Commercial vehicles are required to take an MOT test every 12 months the same as cars, but there are only a limited number of specialised testing lanes in Authorised Testing Facilities available. This new centre will help local businesses improve their productivity by bringing the vehicle testing facilities right to their doorstep in the heart of the local community.”

Cllr Brian Allinson, Chair of South Gloucestershire’s Planning, Transportation and Strategic Environment Committee, added: “The testing station will be of great value to local bus and haulage companies as they will no longer need to travel long distances to be tested, saving them time and money, as well as reducing emissions and CO2. It will also be a major benefit for the council, we have a large fleet of vehicles and having test facilities based in Yate will save us time and resources.”

The centre is currently operating two days a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. For more details and for bookings contact 01454 863920 or email StreetCareTransport@southglos.gov.uk