Brake Performance Evidence: What Every Safety Inspection Should Show

Trade reporting published on 7 August covered a recent Traffic Commissioner decision. None of the eight safety inspections examined at a small haulier was fully compliant, and every record had brake-test issues or omissions. The operator also had wider maintenance, licensing and drivers' hours failings, so the brake records were not the sole reason for regulatory action.

The record-keeping lesson reaches beyond that operator. A visual inspection or a tick in a box does not show how the complete braking system performed. Every scheduled safety inspection needs a recorded assessment that suits the vehicle, trailer and work.

This is not a new rule introduced in August 2026. The DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, updated in April 2025, already sets out the expectation. The decision shows how missing figures and reports can support a wider finding that maintenance control is ineffective.

In practice, evidence at every inspection does not always mean a laden roller brake test at every inspection. The guide recognises three main routes:

 

• A roller brake test can be carried out with the inspection or up to 14 days beforehand. The report must reach the person conducting the inspection, and a copy must stay on the maintenance file.
• An electronic braking performance monitoring system can provide service-brake evidence for a trailer. A competent person must evaluate the data before every safety inspection, then sign, date and attach the evaluation and performance report to the record.
• A suitable decelerometer with temperature readings may be used for vehicles without trailers, or vehicles that cannot use a roller brake tester. It cannot assess trailer brake performance.

 

If there is no satisfactory electronic report or laden roller test, a competent person must complete and retain a risk assessment. Braking performance must still be assessed. The risk assessment needs evaluation at each inspection and must be updated if the vehicle's use changes.

Where electronic monitoring is not used, the guide expects at least four laden brake tests spread evenly through the year, including the annual test. Inspection frequency matters. A 12-week trailer cycle may mean a laden test at each inspection. A six-week cycle can allow another suitable assessment between laden tests when the stated conditions are met.

The operator remains responsible when a maintenance contractor carries out the work. Before return to service, the record should show the assessment date, method, laden status and result. It should also record defects, repairs and the roadworthiness declaration.

 

Insurance Implications

Brake evidence can matter after a collision, roadside prohibition or maintenance investigation. It may help show what was checked, what the result was and whether a developing problem was investigated. A missing report does not automatically decide an insurance claim, but it can leave difficult questions unanswered when roadworthiness is relevant.

Cover and claims decisions depend on the policy wording, the circumstances and the information provided to the insurer. Operators should review any notification or disclosure requirements with their broker, particularly after a prohibition, public inquiry, licence restriction or significant change to maintenance arrangements.

At renewal, complete maintenance records can help an insurer understand how the fleet is managed. They do not guarantee acceptance, price or policy terms. They give the operator and broker evidence to discuss instead of a general assurance about maintenance.

This is where problems usually appear. A roller test may have taken place, but the printout is not attached to the inspection. An electronic system may hold data, but nobody has evaluated or signed it. A report may show an imbalance or weak result, yet there is no record of investigation, repair or a satisfactory follow-up test.

 

It is worth checking the full system now:

• Map every vehicle and trailer against its safety inspection interval and planned brake assessment method.
• Make sure each inspection record identifies the asset, assessment date, test method, laden status and result.
• Link any roller test completed up to 14 days earlier to the correct inspection record. Keep a clear audit trail if the workshop stores it separately.
• For electronic monitoring, confirm who is competent to review the data and who signs the evaluation. Insufficient data needs a different assessment method.
• Where a laden test is not completed, retain and evaluate the risk assessment for that inspection. Record why the alternative was suitable.
• Review the result, not just the pass status. Investigate imbalances, low performance, warning data and repeat defects, then retain evidence of repairs and any follow-up test.
• Audit at least the previous 15 months of inspection records, including vehicles or trailers that have been sold or removed from the licence.
• Check the maintenance contract, inspection form and internal review process together. The operator needs access to the evidence even when a third party performs the test.

 

Operators need to connect the assessment and result with the management decision to release the vehicle back into service.

 

Speak to Ratcliffes

If you are reviewing brake-test records, maintenance controls or the insurance impact of a compliance issue, call Ratcliffes on 01242 544544. Our transport team can discuss whether your HGV, fleet or specialist vehicle cover still reflects how the operation is managed, subject to policy terms and insurer requirements.

 

Sources

• Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain, Decision for SRB Express Ltd (OF2037352), published 5 August 2026.
• Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness: Commercial Goods and Passenger Carrying Vehicles, updated 28 April 2025.
• Trans.info, Haulier Shut Down After MOT Failure Rate Reaches 54%, published 7 August 2026.