DVS compliance for London, handled end to end
Direct Vision Standard and Progressive Safe System packages for HGVs over 12 tonnes, from star rating checks to permit evidence.
Three stars or a Progressive Safe System. No exceptions.
Since 28 October 2024, the Direct Vision Standard requires every HGV over 12 tonnes operating in Greater London to hold an HGV safety permit, and the minimum bar has risen. Vehicles rated three stars and above apply directly. Vehicles rated zero, one or two stars must fit a Progressive Safe System first, and the grace period that allowed operators time to fit it ended in May 2025.
Enforcement is not theoretical. TfL uses ANPR cameras across the capital, day and night, and the penalty charge is £550 per vehicle for every day it operates without a valid permit. For a twenty truck fleet caught unawares, the arithmetic gets painful very quickly.
We take the whole programme off your desk: checking every vehicle's rating, specifying the right equipment for each body type, fitting it to TfL's technical specifications and preparing the evidence your permit application needs.
- Free star rating check across your entire fleet
- Progressive Safe System fitted by our own engineers
- Photographic and sensor functionality evidence prepared
- Maintenance and audit support through to 2030 and beyond
What your vehicles must carry
The PSS goes further than the original Safe System. Sensors must now distinguish moving people from street furniture, so drivers get meaningful alerts instead of constant noise.
Nearside Camera Monitoring
A camera monitoring system eliminates the remaining nearside blind spot, displayed on an in cab screen, and can replace Class V and VI mirrors.
Blind Spot Information System
BSIS sensors cover the full nearside and alert only to moving vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians, ignoring parked cars and cones.
Moving Off Information System
MOIS watches the front blind spot zone and warns the driver of a pedestrian or cyclist ahead before the vehicle moves off from rest.
Side Under Run Protection
Physical guards on both sides of the vehicle that prevent a vulnerable road user being dragged beneath, fitted wherever practicable.
Audible Turn Warnings
An external audible warning tells people around the vehicle when it intends to turn left, or right for left hand drive vehicles.
External Warning Signage
Clear, legible signage warns other road users of the hazards around the vehicle, sized appropriately for the body type.
Four steps to a fully permitted fleet
Fleet star rating audit
We check every registration against TfL records and manufacturer data, and tell you exactly which vehicles need a Progressive Safe System and which can apply directly.
Vehicle surveys and specification
Body types differ, so sensor placement that works on a curtainsider may fail on a tipper. Our engineers survey each vehicle type and specify equipment accordingly.
Installation and calibration
We fit cameras, sensors, warning systems and signage, then calibrate and test coverage on the actual vehicle, keeping records you can produce at audit.
Evidence pack and permit support
You receive the two photographs and the sensor functionality statement TfL requires, formatted ready for your permit application, plus guidance on submitting it.
DVS compliance is the floor, not the ceiling
The PSS protects people around your vehicle at low speed in London. It does not record what happened on the M25 at midnight or coach a tired driver on a long haul. That is why most of our DVS customers pair their compliance package with connected cameras and driver scoring on the same platform.
There is a commercial angle too. Construction clients working to CLOCS standards and operators holding FORS accreditation increasingly expect camera and sensor evidence as table stakes. A well specified system satisfies DVS today and customer audits tomorrow.
- Add connected dash cams to any DVS installation visit
- Support for FORS and CLOCS equipment requirements
- One platform for compliance, cameras and tracking
DVS questions we answer every day
Any heavy goods vehicle over 12 tonnes gross vehicle weight needs an HGV safety permit before operating on any public road in Greater London. It applies to UK and overseas vehicles alike, twenty four hours a day, every day of the year. Vehicles at or under 12 tonnes do not need a permit.
You must fit a Progressive Safe System before a permit will be granted. That means a nearside camera monitoring system, a blind spot information system that detects moving vulnerable road users, a moving off information system at the front, side under run protection, audible turn warnings and clear external signage. We fit the full package and supply the photographic and functionality evidence TfL requires.
TfL provides a free online checker using your vehicle registration number, plus a multi vehicle checker for fleets. If TfL holds no rating for a vehicle, the manufacturer can provide one using the chassis number. We run these checks for you as part of any DVS enquiry, free of charge.
Operating without a valid permit, or in breach of the permit conditions, can result in a Penalty Charge Notice of £550 per vehicle, reduced by half if paid within fourteen days. Enforcement runs through ANPR cameras across Greater London around the clock, so non compliance is detected quickly.
Under the current conditions, permits issued for vehicles rated three stars and above, and permits granted with a Progressive Safe System condition, expire at midnight on 28 October 2030. You must keep the fitted equipment maintained and in working order for the life of the permit.
Get your fleet DVS compliant before the next London job
Send us your vehicle list and we will return a star rating report and a costed compliance plan, free of charge.