Roadside compliance
The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) is responsible for enforcing a wide range of legislation about goods vehicles, buses, taxis, private cars and agricultural vehicles. Enforcement officers are employed to carry out checks on vehicles.
Key areas of enforcement officers' work
Enforcement officers' work involves enforcing compliance rules and they can issue fixed penalties if you fail to meet rules for:
- driver hours - to make sure you meet retained EU and domestic driving rules
- vehicle weights - to make sure that your vehicle meets legal weight limits
- vehicle roadworthiness - to make sure your vehicle meets Construction and Use rules
Enforcement officers check vehicles for visible signs of too many exhaust emissions at the roadside.
Enforcement officers also have the powers to check your tachograph records when they carry out a roadside check. They may also ask you to send records to DVA where you are not carrying them. You are required by law to have a tachograph vehicle unit installed and used where the use of your vehicle falls within the retained EU Drivers Hours rules.
They also have the power to issue fixed penalties for a range of other offences. These include (but are not limited to) offences about goods and passenger vehicle operator licensing, driver’s Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), driver licensing , taxi offences and the enforcement of vehicle excise duty.
Other areas of their work include:
- investigating complaints about suspected illegal use of vehicles
- giving advice about enforcement rules
- assessing operators' premises to make sure they meet the rules of the licensing system
- enforcement of driver licensing and insurance legislation - it is a legal obligation to make sure that your driving licence and motor insurance are current while using a motor vehicle on the road
Enforcement of public service vehicle (bus and taxi) legislation
The checking of buses and taxis under the public service vehicle (bus and taxi) legislation is carried out at the roadside. The checks include:
- making sure you have the proper driving licence for the vehicle you are driving
- making sure you vehicle is mechanically safe
- seat belts
- taxi plates
- roof signs
- making sure that a tachograph is fitted and is being used in buses (where required)
Enforcement of special types vehicles (abnormal loads)
If you drive a special types vehicle or vehicle carrying an abnormal load you may be stopped by an enforcement officer who will carry out checks to make sure that:
- adequate marking of your vehicle or load is clearly visible
- the right procedures have been adhered to
For more information see:
Contact DVA enforcement
Illegal and non-compliant goods vehicles, buses, taxis, operators and drivers present a serious risk to other road users and undermine fair competition.
If you have information which would assist in the detection of non-compliant goods vehicles, buses, taxis, operators and drivers, you can contact the DVA enforcement team via email or telephone:
- dvtaenforcements@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk
- buses, taxis and goods vehicles: 028 9025 4101
All information will be treated as strictly confidential.