Key points
- DVSA issued mechanical prohibitions to 27.0% of the 3,178 GB-registered HGVs it checked, compared with 16.5% of 3,608 foreign HGVs.
- For trailers, foreign units did worse: 36.0% were prohibited, against 27.1% of British trailers.
- Tyres were the most common prohibition defect, found on 7.6% of HGVs and 15.5% of trailers inspected.
- Foreign trucks received 4,818 fixed penalties worth almost £1.19 million.
The figures come from DVSA’s vehicle enforcement data for Great Britain, which covers checks at the roadside and at operators’ premises. The latest quarter is April to June 2026.
British trucks: 858 prohibitions from 3,178 checks
DVSA examiners carried out 3,178 mechanical checks on GB-registered HGVs and issued 858 prohibitions. That gives a prohibition rate of 27.0%, slightly lower than 28.0% a year earlier.
Foreign HGVs were checked more often (3,608 checks) but received fewer prohibitions (595). Their rate was 16.5%, up slightly from 16.0% in April–June 2025.
These rates do not describe the whole fleet. DVSA targets its checks, using tools such as the Operator Compliance Risk Score for British operators, so examiners stop vehicles they consider more likely to have problems. Even so, the gap between British and foreign trucks has been similar in every quarter over the past year.
Foreign trailers are the weak point
Trailers show the opposite pattern. Of 3,454 foreign trailers checked, 1,242 received a prohibition, a rate of 36.0%. For British trailers, it was 27.1% (444 prohibitions from 1,636 checks).
Foreign operators also had more problems with weight. Of 894 weight checks on foreign HGVs, 273 ended with an overload prohibition (30.5%). For British trucks, it was 152 out of 603 (25.2%).
British drivers, however, were more often caught breaking drivers’ hours rules: 2.8% of traffic checks ended in a prohibition, compared with 1.8% for foreign drivers.
Tyres top the list
For HGVs, the most common prohibition defects in April–June 2026, as a share of all vehicles inspected, were:
- condition of tyres – 7.62% (down from 7.97% a year earlier),
- exhaust emissions – 2.48% (up from 2.09%),
- security of body – 2.31%,
- brake systems and components – 2.00%,
- service brake operation – 1.65%.
On trailers, tyre problems were twice as common: 15.48% of trailers inspected had a tyre defect serious enough for a prohibition. Brake systems (6.23%) and suspension (3.48%) followed. We have previously reported that tyres cause one in four trailer breakdowns.
Fines: foreign trucks pay most
Foreign HGVs received 4,818 fixed penalties worth £1,189,450, up from 4,763 a year earlier. British trucks received 693 penalties worth £115,050, up from 642.
DVSA has been increasing its focus on foreign HGVs. Insecure loads are another common reason for stops, as joint police and DVSA operations showed when 6 in 10 vehicles checked had insecure loads.
What it means for hauliers
A prohibition means more than a fine. The vehicle cannot move until the defect is fixed, which can mean a mobile mechanic, a missed delivery slot and a driver waiting at the roadside. For British operators, the result also feeds into the OCRS score, which increases the chance of the next stop.
The contrast with the annual test is striking. Only around 10% of British trucks now fail their annual test at the first attempt, yet more than a quarter of those stopped at the roadside are taken off the road. Many prohibition defects, such as worn or damaged tyres, insecure bodies or faulty lights, develop between tests.
For hauliers, the cheapest protection is a proper daily walkaround check, with tyres, brakes and load security first on the list. For foreign operators driving into the UK, the data show that the trailer deserves the same attention as the tractor unit.
