The Direct Vision Standard
As part of the Major of London’s Vision Zero commitment to making the streets of London safer, eliminating all deaths and serious injuries from London’s streets by 2041, Direct Vision Standards (DVS) are being tightened.
From 28 October 2024, only HGVs rated three stars and above, or those with a Progressive Safe System (PSS) fitted will be permitted to travel in London.
Find out how each of your fleet vehicles will be affected, and how to keep compliant.
What is the Direct Vehicle Standard?
DVS is designed to measure a driver’s direct view through the windows of an HGV cab, and to gauge the level of risk they pose to road users and pedestrians. In collaboration with expert researchers at Loughborough University, Transport for London (TFL) have created the star rating to measure the extent of a driver’s view.
Are your vehicles affected
Vehicles operating within the M25 catchment area over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight.
The fleet operator is responsible for ensuring that each fleet vehicle affected has a valid safety Permit before entering and operating within the catchment area.
Enforcement and penalties
If you drive an HGV within Greater London, without a valid Permit, you may receive a penalty charge (PCN) of up to £550 (reduced to £275 if paid within 14 days).
The Star Rating
The DVS measures how much an HGV driver can seedirectly through their cab windows. This is expressedas a star rating from Zero (limited) to 5 (good).
The star rating is fixed at the point of manufacture, and won’t change. It has been created to indicate the level of risk to road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Check the star rating and Permit status of your vehicle using TFL’s online Permit checking tool (below).
A star rating is given to a vehicle at the point of manufacture and does not change. If the star rating is not available, contact your vehicle manufacturer with the VIN and Registration
mark and they will notify you of your star rating.
0, 1 or 2 star Vehicle on Contract Hire
If your vehicle is on Contract Hire with NRG Riverside the cost for this new upgrade was not included in your agreement. The upgrade cost will depend on the vehicle
age and system fitted and will be between £1,600 and £3,201, to be determined at the time of the pre-inspection and upgrade.
A TFL link to the minimum technical specifications for PSS equipment is below. We recommend that any installing the Progressive Safe System does not change the vehicle’s
star rating, but increases the overall safety of the vehicle.
Applying for your HGV safety Permit
If your vehicle is rated zero, 1 or 2 stars oris unrated, you must ensure the PSS is fitted.You’ll need to attach visual evidence of this.If your vehicle is rated 3, 4 or 5 stars, or upto 2 stars and you have had a PSS fitted,you can apply for your Permit online.
If you drive an HGV within Greater London, without a valid Permit, you may receive a penalty charge (PCN) of up to £550 (reduced to £275 if paid within 14 days).
Exempt Vehicles
When you input your vehicle’s number plate
(Vehicle Registration Mark) into the TFL’s star rating
checking facility, you will be notified whether your
vehicle is exempt, or whether you will need a permit.
This is the safest way to ensure that your specialist
vehicles are compliant.
NRG Riverside Vehicles
It is the fleet operator’s responsibility to ensure that vehicles are compliant to this new legislation.
Where 0, 1 or 2 star vehicles are on Contract Hire through NRG Riverside, the cost for this new upgrade was not included in your agreement. The upgrade cost will depend on the vehicle age and system fitted and will be determined at the time of the pre-inspection and upgrade.
