If 2020 to 2021 was a difficult and uncertain time for the UK’s motorists, spare a thought for those who ensure our vehicles are roadworthy, and keep those roads some of the safest in the world. The essential, annual MOT test is possibly something which vehicle owners try not to think about, worry about, or at the very best see as a necessary evil.
For this reason, test centre managers and workers are not always motorists’ favourite people; but the fact remains that they carry out an essential national service. Recruitment for test engineers, while always something of a challenge, is facing its toughest test for many years, as the after-effects of the covid pandemic continue to be felt in 2022.
Repercussions of 2020
In many ways, the challenges faced by test centres in the coming year stem from events that took place in 2020. Although this may seem like a long time ago, as with much else to do with the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent government actions, what happened then will take several years to work itself out.
It was in 2020 that MOT testing was suspended for six months, so that both motorists and test engineers could stay at home and hopefully prevent the virus from spreading. Although the MOT “holiday” eventually ended up being shortened, it still meant that more than five million vehicles went untested between March and September of 2020.
From then on, both the backlog itself and subsequent rushes to apply for MOT test spots caused a series of log jams within the testing system. This then fed into the business cycle for 2021, as more and more cars and vans exhausted their current MOT certificate validation. In addition to this, test centres themselves were hit with the consequences of covid 19 itself; in particular, the need for employees to self isolate for ten days, whether they had the disease or not. The “pingdemic” particularly affected smaller test centres, which typically run on ten staff or less.
As it was (and still is) very unlikely that a vehicle owner could re-book a test elsewhere at short notice, this meant that thousands of owners were driving untested vehicles, even though these were covered by exemption certificates. For the test centres, meanwhile, backlog added to backlog, with no predictable end in sight. With the end of the furlough scheme, those centres operating on very small margins sometimes had to admit defeat altogether and close for good.
Upcoming Industry Challenges
The result of this upheaval is a huge shortage in qualified testing staff. Industry surveys indicate that approximately two thirds of all UK garages and testing centres are under-staffed. Increasing recruitment levels is also thought likely to be made harder by the financial incentives being offered to potential HGV drivers, at least in the short to medium term.
As qualifying to be an accredited MOT tester requires significant investment in terms of time and money, upgrading a driving licence to heavy goods standard will probably appeal to many of those looking to enter the motoring sector.
Employers also cite the electric car as adding to the demands being placed on MOT testing centres. Of course, these vehicles are also subject to annual tests like any other vehicle; but the technology and expertise required to do this are both extensive, and hence expensive.
Demand predictions indicate that, by 2030, the number of electric cars on the road will require about 90,000 qualified testers to cope with their MOT requirements, servicing and repairs. Those same industry sources predict, however, that this target is likely to fall well short in reality, by almost 40,000 technicians; at present, only 5% of testing staff are qualified to approve electronic vehicles (EVs).
Pressure on Garages
So, it seems the MOT testing sector is under a huge amount of pressure, both from the lingering effects of covid and other changes in society as a whole. With the UK committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 (a mere 28 years away), the country’s driving fleet is certain to see huge changes in the coming years. For garages like those promoted by checkmot.com, being prepared for this means recruiting and / or training staff as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, even recruiting those staff is extremely difficult. As with any business, making careers in this sector attractive very often depends on the rewards and prospects available; hopefully the demand for electric cars will have the knock on effect of servicing and testing them lucrative in the medium and long term.