Rules about vetting of people who do MOT testing changed in April 2022. Under the new rules, new MOT testers need to apply for a basic disclosure check before they can start carrying out tests. The rules apply to newly qualified MOT testers, testers who have previously been accredited for MOT testing but who have taken a short time away from the profession, and for anyone who has previously been accredited as a MOT tester but who has not tested in the previous five years.
MOT Scheme Integrity
The DVSA is the government department which is responsible for managing the MOT testing process. Trust in the system is essential, and the DVSA introduced the requirement for a basic disclosure check as a way of ensuring that the people who are carrying out DBS checks are fundamentally honest. This ensures the integrity of the system and cuts down the potential for criminals to issue fraudulent certificates.
Getting a Disclosure Check
There are several different levels of DBS check. The more detailed levels of check are reserved for specific occupations, most of which are in healthcare or occupations involving working with children. Garages which are employing people to work as MOT testers should be aware of the requirement for getting a basic disclosure check. Testers can apply for a check online. This is a simple and straightforward process which involves filling in a form with personal details and then verifying identity, either online or by showing key identity documents such as passports and driving licence. The process is not particularly time consuming, but it is important to ensure that the form contains all of the required information, as omissions and errors could lead to the application being rejected.
MOT testers require a basic DBS check only. A basic DBS check will look at someone’s most recent criminal record only, both cautions and convictions. Rehabilitation law in the UK means that after a set period of time convictions are considered “spent” and no longer need to be declared on official forms or on job applications. There is a fairly complex formula for working out when a conviction is spent, depending on how old the person was at the time of the event, and the length of the sentence handed down. Some of the most serious crimes, which resulted in a prison sentence of several years, will never be spent.
Crimes on a DBS Certificate
The DVSA does not require that people who are putting cars through a MOT test have a completely clear criminal record. Each case is considered on its merits, and a few minor convictions is not going to stop someone being allowed to become an MOT tester. The system is trying to weed out the serious career criminals whose lengthy criminal record calls their fundamental honesty into question. Knowing that MOT testers have been subject to criminal records testing should give members of the public more faith in the system, whichever garage they take their vehicle too.
