A UK ban on using tyres aged 10 years and older on the front axles of lorries, buses and coaches will enter into force on February 1st. The change in the law will allow the DVSA to issue prohibitions if such tyres are found at the annual test and enforcement checks.
The ban followed an extensive investigation, including research commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT). The DfT study indicated ageing tyres suffer from enough corrosion to cause failures.
The move makes it illegal to fit tyres aged 10 years or older to the front wheels of lorries, buses and coaches, and all wheels of minibuses. The regulation also applies to retreaded tyres, with the date of retreading to be marked in order to make the age of the tyre clearly visible.
What has changed?
From February 2021, it becomes illegal to fit tyres aged 10 years or older to:
- the front axle of a goods vehicle with a maximum gross weight exceeding 3,500 kg
- the front axle of a bus or coach – including minibuses
- the rear axle of a minibus with single rear wheels fitted
This also means that the above vehicles will fail their annual test if they are fitted with tyres more than ten years old. The DVSA adds that if these tyres do not display a date code, they will also fail.
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