Direct Vision Standard and HGV Safety Permit

Effective from March 1st,

2021, operators of lorries and HGV’s over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight will need a permit to enter and operate within the Greater London area.

Below is a map of the area affected by the upcoming DVS & safety permit:

This also applies to vehicles from outside of the UK. If your vehicle is registered outside of the UK and is entering or operating in Greater London, you will need to apply for a permit also. You will be asked for your registration documents, such as a V5C log book, or foreign equivalents.

Application for this permit

is free however you must meet the requirements in order for your permit to be issued. This means your vehicle must achieve the minimum DVS Star Rating.

The DVS Star Rating is a

rating system from 1 to 5 - If your vehicle is rated 0 Stars and does not meet the correct rating, then your permit will be denied. In this case you will need to make your vehicle safer with the Safe System Improvements, detailed below:

To improve indirect vision, and help drivers see near the vehicle:

• Class V and VI Mirrors

• A fully operational camera monitoring system

• A sensor system with driver alerts

To warn road users of intended manoeuvres:

• An audible vehicle manoeuvring warning for left turns (or right turns if the vehicle is left-hand drive)

• Warning signage

To minimise the physical impact of a hazard:

• Side-underrun protection

Zero star vehicles with an approved Safe System will be granted a permit until 25 October 2024 (when the Progressive Safe System will be required for vehicles rated two star or below).

What happens if you don’t get a permit?

After the 1st of March 2021, if you are found to be driving a HGV in Greater London without a permit, you could receive a Penalty Charge Notice of up to £550 - reduced to £225 if paid within 14 days.

If it is found that your vehicle has breached the Permit terms, your permit can be suspended or revoked.

Progressive Safe System

In 2022 the Safe System will be reviewed to take into account any changes or advancements in technology and safety equipment.

If new equipment or technology is put forward for the Progressive Safe System must then be retrofitted to HGV’s, industry recognised and readily available on the market at the time.

The Progressive Safe System will need to be installed on all HGV’s rated below 3 stars by October 2024.

Safe System Components by FPL UK

Freight Products can supply the necessary components needed to achieve the correct requirements for the DVS Star rating.

SIDEMINDER System and Left Turn Alarm

Accidents can easily be avoided with the new Sideminder and Alarmalite Systems which provide voice activated warnings when a vehicle is turning left.

The SIDEMINDER System comes as a single unit which is ideal for smaller lorries or as a complete system for larger vehicles with a master and two slave speaker units, as well as a complete wiring harness to connect the units together. Both units are activated when the indicators are in operation.

The Left Turn Alarmalite produce a verbal warning of ‘WARNING, this vehicle is turning LEFT!’ while the two LED lights flash in a manner specifically designed to attract maximum attention. Find them on page 100-103 in our catalogue.

FORS Signage:

Our FORS Health and Safety sticker pack include everything you need to make sure your vehicle has the correct signage. You’ll find a great range of health and safety signage in our specialist markers and signage section. Find them on page 21 - 23 of our catalogue.

Camera Systems:

We have a wide range of Camera systems to help drivers complete manoeuvres successfully. These include third brake light cameras, reversing cameras and monitoring systems.

Find them on page 96 - 99 in our catalogue.