The fee for calibration and periodic inspection of tachographs will be deregulated from 1 January 2012, according to VOSA, following a consultation with the industry.
The Vehicle and Operators Services Agency says deregulation will allow approved tachograph centres and vehicle operators to negotiate a fair fee for the calibration and inspection of their tachographs.
The agency also expects geographical variations in cost to be enabled and better support for vehicle operators wanting their tachographs to be calibrated during unsociable hours.
The change in regulations will also future-proof calibration and inspection against technological changes that might affect how much work is involved.
Overall, VOSA chief executive Alastair Peoples says deregulation removes the need for future government involvement in fee setting, and incentivises workshops considering becoming approved tachograph centres.
"Deregulation will benefit the industry, giving tachograph centres the opportunity to recoup their costs while providing a more flexible service to the customers," he states.
