A multi-stakeholder Maintenance Provision Rating Scheme (MPRS) has been launched to rate participating third-party commercial vehicle workshops’ performance and workforce quality through comprehensive audits and collective evidence.
Management of the independent scheme is by the Institute of Road Transport Engineers with support from organisations including the Department for Transport, DVSA, the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, and trade bodies the Confederation of Passenger Transport and RHA.
It is aimed at workshops and maintenance facilities of all sizes. Five ratings form part of the scheme: Qualified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, as defined on the MPRS website.
Workshops apply for their rating via that portal. Qualified and Bronze levels are based on independent assessment of self-declarations. Silver, Gold and Platinum are subject to approved audit.
The MPRS resource adds how for operators that work with external workshops and third-party maintenance provision, the rating scheme is “a beacon of confidence” and that it “provides a structured framework to assess and improve your maintenance operations, leading to higher vehicle reliability and safety.”
Senior Traffic Commissioner Richard Turfitt has previously commented on the use of third-party maintenance providers. In 2022 he noted how operators in that circumstance must hold such suppliers to account, including questioning them before a contract is drawn up.
The National Franchised Dealers Association is among supporters of the scheme. It says that MPRS originated from an industry call “to reduce prohibition rates and to foster more transparency for operators.”
Launch of the scheme follows trials in 2024. DVSA Head of Vehicle Policy Neil Barlow adds how MPRS is neither an accreditation nor a regulation for the third-party maintenance provider but is “about setting standards and expectations for the people and the facility,” whether that is a small independent workshop or a large dealership.
He underlines how when selecting an external workshop, it is the operator’s responsibility to ensure that such a supplier is suitably equipped and that work is completed properly, although choosing the right maintenance provider is just one part of the roadworthiness field.
For workshops that join the scheme, Mr Barlow adds that benefits include being able to demonstrate a commitment to quality and professionalism, enhanced credibility, and provision of a structure for improvement via working through each rating level.
