UK Haulage Update: DVSA Rules, Smart Tacho Deadline, and Show Highlights

If you work in UK haulage — whether you're running a fleet, managing transport compliance, or behind the wheel of an HGV — the past few months have brought a fair few changes worth knowing about. From tachograph retrofit deadlines to driving test backlogs and a buzzing CV Show at the NEC, there's plenty to get your head around. Here's a straightforward rundown of what matters and what you should be doing about it.

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Smart Tachograph 2: The August 2025 Deadline You Can't Ignore

Let's start with the one that's caught a few operators off guard. If your vehicles are running Smart Tachograph version 1 and operating on international journeys, you have until 18 August 2025 to retrofit them with Smart Tachograph 2 units.

This isn't a suggestion — it's a hard regulatory requirement. Vehicles crossing borders and still running the older units after that date will be non-compliant, and DVSA enforcement teams will be checking.

Smart Tachograph 2 brings better security, remote enforcement capabilities, and improved accuracy. If you've got a mixed fleet, now is the time to audit which vehicles are going international and get retrofit appointments booked before the summer rush. Don't leave it to July — workshops are going to be busy.

It's also worth noting that DVSA's guidance on drivers' hours has been updated to confirm that HGV operators on international routes must be able to produce 56 days of driver records at roadside checks. If you're heading outside the EU into countries covered by AETR rules, those regulations apply too. Make sure your drivers know what's required and that records are accessible — not buried in a folder somewhere.

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DVSA Compliance: Maintenance, Licensing, and Digital Notices

Preventative Maintenance in Focus

The DVSA has been busy this year, and one of the more useful developments has been its involvement in the Logistics UK Transport Manager 2025 conference series. Alongside Traffic Commissioners, the DVSA has been presenting updated guidance on preventative maintenance standards and the future of operator licensing.

If you haven't revisited your maintenance intervals and documentation processes recently, this is a nudge to do so. The DVSA's Earned Recognition audit standards for HGV operators set out exactly what best-practice compliance looks like — covering everything from defect reporting and brake testing frequency to driver walk-around checks. Even if you're not on the Earned Recognition scheme, it's a solid benchmark to work towards.

Tools like Fleet77 are used by transport managers to keep maintenance records in order and ensure nothing slips through the cracks during busy periods — the kind of thing that shows up badly during an audit.

Prohibition Notices Going Digital

One smaller but important change: DVSA has updated how it delivers roadside prohibition notices to operators. From mid-2025, operators with a registered email address will receive prohibition letters digitally, with a direct download link rather than the full notice appearing in the email body. Physical notices are still issued at the roadside, but the follow-up paperwork is going electronic.

It sounds minor, but if your contact details with DVSA aren't up to date, you could miss these entirely. Check your registered email address is current and that someone is actually monitoring it.

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Driving Test Backlogs: A Real Problem for Fleet Recruitment

This one affects anyone trying to bring new HGV drivers into the business. The National Audit Office (NAO) has reported that average DVSA practical test waiting times are sitting at 22 weeks, with 70% of test centres running at the maximum 24-week wait. That's nearly six months from booking to test — which creates a serious bottleneck for fleet operators trying to grow their driver pool.

The DVSA has introduced stricter booking rules to clamp down on automated bots and third-party resellers who were snapping up test slots and reselling them, making the situation even worse for genuine candidates.

What does this mean practically? If you're planning on hiring trainee drivers or putting existing staff through HGV licencing, build that lead time into your recruitment planning. A 24-week wait means someone starting driver training today might not be fully licenced and road-ready until late 2025 at the earliest. Plan accordingly.

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Industry Events: CV Show and Truckfest Round-Up

CV Show 2025 — 25 Years at the NEC

The Commercial Vehicle Show celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, running from 29 April to 1 May at the NEC Birmingham. Under new management from Nineteen Group and backed by the RHA and SMMT, the show drew around 15,000 visitors — a strong turnout that reflected how much appetite there is for face-to-face industry catch-ups.

Topics dominating the floor included fleet decarbonisation, the Zero Emission Heavy Duty Vehicle and Infrastructure Demonstration (Z-HDID) Programme, freight crime prevention, and the growing role of AI in logistics operations. If you missed it, keep an eye out — the conversations happening at events like this tend to shape where regulation and investment head next.

Truckfest — The Fan Favourite

On the enthusiast side of things, Truckfest ran its regional circuit including the Original, North West, and South West events, drawing huge crowds of operators, drivers, and truck fans alike. This year's standout moment was Struan Gillie being crowned winner of the Truckfest Truck of the Year: Fan Favourite — a well-deserved bit of recognition that shows the passion still alive and well in this industry.

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Staying on Top of It All

There's a lot moving at once — retrofit deadlines, updated enforcement processes, driver shortages, and a compliance bar that keeps rising. The operators who stay ahead are the ones with solid systems in place rather than scrambling to catch up when a DVSA examiner turns up.

Whether it's tachograph records, maintenance schedules, or driver documentation, keeping everything accessible and up to date is what separates a clean audit from a costly one. Fleet77 is built around exactly that — giving transport managers and operators one place to manage compliance without the chaos.

Try Fleet77 free or get in touch to see how it works.