Practice on Acceptable Standards of Maintenance The Department of Transport accepts that many operators, particularly those new to the profession, are unaware of what is needed to meet the required standards, and have issued, in consultation with representatives of the industry a Code of Practice to provide guidance for operators on what is needed for good maintenance. The Code is entitled Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, and is published by HMSO. The Preface to the Code repeats the caveat in the Department's Guide to Operator Licensing that the ultimate test of an operator's maintenance system is the condition of his vehicles on the road. It assures operators that if their maintenance systems accord with the Code they will be acceptable to Traffic Commissioners, providing the resulting condition of their vehicles is satisfactory. However, it adds a rider that Traffic Commissioners remain free to require more stringent arrangements than those which the operator proposes. Advice contained in the code The Code offers much sensible advice on what is acceptable. It thus fills the gap which previously existed between the legal requirement for safe operation and the means by which this can be fulfilled. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is now much more specific than hitherto about these means. VOSA examiners have always been prepared to visit operators and advise them on their maintenance. The VOSA is now an Executive Agency with a commercial remit, self funded by the fees it charges for inspections it provides for a commercial fee, courses for goods vehicle operators' staffs responsible for inspecting vehicles. The Code places considerable emphasis on regular inspections of vehicles, including a daily "walkround check", the keeping of records of inspections (Croners' Road Transport Operation: Records and Procedures gives valuable information on the types of records to be kept), and the