HGV maintenance records:
what DVSA actually expect to see.

What the current guidance requires

DVSA's Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness sets out what operators are expected to do. The headline requirements are well known. The detail is where most operators fall short.

On brake performance: DVSA guidance now expects brake performance evidence at every PMI — not just when you suspect a problem, and not just at annual test. That means a roller brake test result, recorded, filed, and available for inspection. A PMI sheet that says "brakes OK" without a figure behind it won't hold up.

On intervals: six-weekly PMIs remain the common, defensible benchmark — but the interval must be justified by your actual operating conditions. High-mileage vehicles, vehicles operating in demanding environments, or vehicles with a history of brake issues should be on shorter cycles. The decision needs to be documented, not assumed.

The most common failure — and it's not what you'd expect

Most operators who end up in front of the Traffic Commissioner aren't running vehicles that are genuinely dangerous. The inspections are happening. The maintenance is getting done. The problem is the paperwork.

The most common documentation failures DVSA find:

• PMI intervals quietly slipping — from six weeks to eight or ten, with no justification on record and no one noticing until the dates are reviewed side by side
• No brake performance figures — inspection sheets that record a pass but not the actual test results
• Driver defect reports not linked to repairs — a driver reports a defect, a repair happens, but there's no paperwork connecting the two
• Records not retained — the work was done but the paperwork was thrown away after a few months
• Contractor-only records — the maintenance contractor holds the records, the operator doesn't have copies, and can't produce them when asked

DVSA don't just look at the last inspection. They look at the pattern across 15 months. A single gap they might overlook. A pattern of gaps is a systemic failure — and that's what Traffic Commissioner hearings are made of.