The AADI has the following issues with the dvsa.

Even a war criminal has more rights than an ADI.

How is this acceptable in this day and age?

1.    Loss of all rights to appeal.

There really is no right to appeal against the result of the driving test. The dvsa claim that you can appeal about the manner in which the test was conducted but, where is the evidence? You cannot record the test as all cameras have to be outward facing and not record anything inside the cabin. All aural recording for speech must be switched off. In other words, there it is impossible to provide evidence that could be produced at a hearing against the result. 

You could ask your ADI to speak up for you except a majority are terrified of the dvsa and will not speak up to protect their own interests, so, what hope has the pupil got.

2.    Check Test/ Standards Check. 

Same problem as for the basic ‘L’ test, no recording of any form of evidence permitted and again they state on the appointment and the ‘rules of engagement’ for the day that there is no right of appeal against the result. Guilty as charged before you begin. Even a war criminal has a right to put forward evidence in their defence ADIs, or anyone taking a dvsa test/exam has no evidence they can use, so they have fewer rights than that of a war criminal. How is this acceptable in today’s society, does the Geneva convention for a basic right of defence not apply to us?

     2a. As our registration fee allegedly includes the cost of a CT/SC once every four-year cycle, and if the dvsa fail in their obligation to meet this requirement and only manage a test after 5,6 or even7 years, is the ADI not due a refund of this section of the included fee. It is our money after all and should be refunded if the statutory requirement is not met by the licencing body?  The dvsa failure to meet their requirement of their agreement with HMG is not the fault of the ADI and should be reimbursed for the loss of this money.

3.    Women’s rights.

Can a woman ask for a female examiner if she does not want a male examiner? Who knows what trauma the lady may have suffered at the hands of a partner, a male colleague, or simply walking home one evening? They could be terrified at the thought of getting into a car with a male stranger, and worse still, what about the examiners check test or even for mentoring when another male passenger sits behind them in the back of the car. Can the candidate say no for any of these reasons?

Any lady pupils I have taken for my CT/SC, I have asked if there is an issue and would they mind another male in the car, if it is a no go, then I ask a different pupil. They do not have this option with the dvsa. I ask, have the dvsa practiced a policy of positive recruitment of female examiners and actively tried to recruit for this purpose, have they specifically advertised for female examiners to level the playing field, or has it not occurred to them?

4.    Toilet facilities.

How in this, the 21^st century can an agency of HMG   be allowed to operate that does not offer decent basic bathroom facilities? The driving test is acknowledged as an exceptionally stressful occasion where candidates can have so much hanging in the balance. The test is not just about getting a licence for a leisure pursuit, it is a job opportunity, it is a new future, a new home, promotion, and a taxi for the children to make life so much more bearable and manageable in today’s highly pressured way of life. It is for the emergency services, food supplies, transference of medicines and blood for life saving transfusion, or organs for transplant, the list just goes on and on, yet often there is nowhere for the candidate to take a leak or empty their bowels out of fear. This is no longer acceptable in today’s society, test centres without toilets that are open to candidates and instructors alike must be closed asap and an alternative site found.

The dvsa have twaddled about with the idea of Super Centres at a cost of millions of pounds in research and marketing then designing, acquiring ....only to close them down as a failure in many cases. The dvsa toyed with ‘meet your examiner’ at....Tesco, Halfords, local hotel.... another flop. Millions of pounds spent on dvsa crackpot ideas, yet the candidate and ADI still cannot spend a penny in so many test centres. Some candidates have even been known to dash behind a tree or the nearest bush for relief, I have had pupils reduced to this level of desperation and seen other ADI’s pupils do the same. Just imagine other facilities open to the public that did not have toilets for their customers to use, there would be an outcry. My doctor’s surgery has a loo, my dentist, my garage ( though this could do with a clean more often),  theory test centres have toilets for the candidates, so again, how is it right that in the 21^st century that candidates for the practical test frequently have no toilets they can use?

Surely this is against the basic rights of any civilised society, does it happen anywhere else in Eurpe?

The AADI first brought this issue up in the Blog 2 years ago in 2020 and still there is no change. The dvsa had empty test centres and waiting rooms for a year to sort this out, did they – did they heck – how much longer before they do?

5.    TomTom Speed limit display.

The dvsa have said OK, to in car gadgetry if it is a part of the vehicle’s specification and yet when they use the TomTom on test, they deliberately disable the speed limit display. This is a feature, and a very popular marketing point for all satnavs, and yet the dvsa do not want the candidate to have this for their test, why? I have over 1,000,000 miles of experience and use it regularly on roads and in areas that I do not know, yet my inexperienced pupils are not allowed this widely used facility on their test! Is this not stacking the odds against the candidate as we are frequently told that we should not be teaching test routes. Why can they use it to find their way there and on the way home, yet not on the test? This makes no sense whatsoever.

   6. Display of badges (ADI) on test.

This is supposedly to identify ADIs who do not display and hide their identity when they bring poor grade candidates just for the money. Also, because quite often grade ‘A’ instructors who can perform for their check test and are not so good at their day-to-day job. This is not waiting room gossip but from the horse’s mouth.

Believe it or not, the high ups felt it was unfair on ADIs who are ‘B’ grade and face an earlier check-up because they get nervous and cannot perform on the day yet present regularly, good pupils and have good, acceptable pass rates. It is apparently not intended as a witch hunt on the average ADI but a wake-up call for the barrack room lawyers out there who hide behind their ‘A’ badge. A pity that they did not make this well-known at the outset.

7 Plans for examiners to use bodycams

Not without the ADI having the right to have in car recording for the tests as well as per items 1 & 2 above. There cannot be a denial of our rights to have defence material with an imposition of extra recording by the dvsa to allegedly protect their staff. The dvsa extending their rights and powers – we need and must have a level, legal playing field. Will they be putting cameras in the waiting rooms and the loos that we already have?

    8.  Digital DL25.

Rubbish and uninformative. As we are not currently permitted to sit in the back, they give us very little idea as to what happened, just a list of vague tick-box errors with the number of repeats against them. Of no real use to the ADI. We all know that the candidates’ version of events can be as accurate as Santa Claus’ tracker at Christmas – pure fantasy.

      9.  Sitting in the back on test.

This topic raises very strong feelings at ADI meetings. Why can the ADI not sit in the back on a test?

The test is 40 mins long, the CT/SC is 40 minutes long. Wheels turning around 35 minutes on both.

The ‘L’ test can be cut very, very short and be all over with examiner gone in less that 10 minutes. CT/SC will continue with 3 in the car for 35-40 minutes, unless stopped for safety concerns by the examiner (enforcer). How is this a fair working arrangement, the ADI and the candidate are at the bottom of the ladder when it comes to having any rights and yet we are both paying customers of the dvsa and pay all their wages! This is an absurd situation and is against our basic rights which needs to be addressed at the earliest date.

    10. Poor Management of facilities, staff, and stock.

Recently we asked if the dvsa could be considered guilty of bad practice  when they announced the opening of 22 new theory testing sites combined with the lack of examiners and tests due to the C19 crisis in the industry and the diverting of staff to HGV testing. We felt that the waiting lists were not going to improve but would in fact lengthen. We now have the news that there are several practical test centres to close around the country. With so many no shows at test centres due to candidates booking just to have a go,  then not being able to find an instructor willing to hand over their pride and joy for a hundred quid.

Only today I heard of a dtc that had 88 no shows last month alone leaving a lot of wasted chances, and this is going on across the country, in every test area. When you combine this with the number of lost vocational tests each month, the dvsa senior management really do need to reconsider their options and make some changes to improve the efficient management of their stock. Perhaps HMG should look at Tesco, or Aldi for their next CEO of the dvsa for better business awareness and customer satisfaction. Where are all the new theory test passes going to take their practical test before the certificate expires?

Today the dvsa needs the support and backing of the ADI community more than ever. They should swallow their pride, listen to what they are being told by us on the frontline along with our colleagues the examiners and get stuck in to sorting this crisis out. Using their close circle of friends has so far achieved nothing and alienated the vast majority of ADIs and the only thing saving them is the lack of cohesion and unity among the ADI sector within our industry.

Regards.

The Grumbler.

Grumblers email address

There is now an email address for the Grumbler...... thegrumbler@theaadi.co.uk so you can drop a line if you have a question you'd like to ask, or a story/information to provide/pass on (in total confidence of course so dvsa employees need not worry). Trolls will be ignored and deleted by my pet Ork.

As usual, if there is anything that you see is incorrect or, plain wrong, I apologise, and if you drop a line via the Contact Us page it will be edited.