Motor Vehicle Inspection to be Improved

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Works Agency (NWA), Milton Hodelin, has said that the Ministry of Transport and Works is forging a joint venture arrangement between the Island Traffic Authority and the Road Maintenance Fund, to facilitate improved delivery of the motor vehicle inspection services.
“Importantly, this involves the procurement of modern equipment for the testing of motor vehicles, a most critical plank of the overall reform process. Integral to this whole development is the automation of the motor vehicle inspection services, to include automated diagnostic testing in the inspection of motor vehicles,” Mr. Hodelin said.
He pointed out that this is being done to ramp up the efficiency and accuracy of the fitness testing process, to allow for a much safer environment on the nation’s roadways.
Mr. Hodelin was speaking on behalf of the Minister of Transport and Works, Michael Henry, at the Authority’s Residential Seminar/Workshop, which is currently underway at the Shaw Park Beach Hotel and Spa, in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.
The forum, which began on December 11, is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, December 14. It is being held under the theme: ‘Charting New Frontiers in Driver and Vehicle Testing’.
“In respect to overhauling of the human resources process at the Authority, a new staff structure has been developed and sent to the Management Division Branch in the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, for its approval and support. Already, as a more immediate response, a number of newly recruited inspectors have completed a five-week training exercise covering all aspects of Government,” he informed, adding that other human resource initiatives are in the making, such as improved facilities, revised business processes, and staff relocation, to address urgent customer relations concerns.
Turning to the Authority’s financial resources, Mr. Hodelin said that new arrangements are being discussed with the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service, to ensure that the Authority would have the wherewithal to implement the necessary changes, to produce a more result-oriented entity.
“We want to ensure the safety of our people on our roads. We want to be confident that, when a candidate for a driver’s licence receives a Certificate of Competence from the Authority, that candidate is truly competent to drive on our roads. The same applies to when a motor vehicle is certified fit. It is critical in the public’s interest that all the requirements associated with the test for that vehicle would have been met,” he said.