Is London’s DVS and PSS Giving Us a Glimpse of the Future of HGV Safety in the UK?

If you operate HGVs in and around London, DVS is nothing new.

Fleet operators have already spent years fitting cameras, sensors and warning systems to vehicles to meet Transport for London requirements.

But there’s a bigger question worth asking:

Is London showing us where commercial vehicle safety across the rest of the UK is heading?

At the moment, there is no confirmed government plan to introduce TfL’s Direct Vision Standard and Progressive Safe System in every UK city. So we’re not going to tell customers that a nationwide rollout is coming when nobody has officially announced one.

What we can see, however, is a clear movement towards better visibility around HGVs, improved protection for vulnerable road users and smarter safety technology.

And for fleet operators, that’s worth paying attention to.

London has already raised the bar

The Direct Vision Standard was introduced because there is a fundamental problem with large commercial vehicles: blind spots.

Anyone who has spent time behind the wheel of an HGV knows exactly what we’re talking about.

Even with correctly adjusted mirrors, there are areas around a large vehicle that are difficult to see. Put a cyclist or pedestrian in the wrong place at the wrong moment and the consequences can be serious.

That’s where DVS and the Progressive Safe System come in.

Since 28 October 2024, HGVs over 12 tonnes operating in most of Greater London need an HGV Safety Permit. Vehicles that don’t achieve the required three-star Direct Vision Standard need additional safety measures to satisfy the Progressive Safe System requirements.

The idea is simple:

Give the driver better information about what’s happening around the vehicle.

It’s about more than passing a compliance check

We think this is an important distinction.

It’s easy to look at a DVS kit as another piece of equipment you have to buy because your truck needs to enter London.

But that’s only half the story.

A good camera and detection system should actually help the person driving the truck.

The driver needs to know when somebody enters a critical area. They need a clear picture rather than another distracting screen. Warnings need to be useful rather than constantly going off unnecessarily.

And if an incident does happen, recorded footage can be extremely valuable in understanding exactly what took place.

That’s why we believe the industry will continue moving towards intelligent detection rather than simply adding more cameras.

Will other UK cities eventually follow London?

Possibly.

But nobody should be presenting that as confirmed government policy today.

There have previously been discussions about whether the Direct Vision Standard could be adopted more widely, and the London scheme was developed in a way that could potentially allow other cities to adopt a similar approach.

That doesn’t mean Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds or every other UK city is about to introduce DVS.

What it does mean is that London has created a working model that other authorities can examine.

And if it continues to contribute to safer roads, it would not be surprising to see elements of the approach influence future commercial vehicle safety policies elsewhere.

The technology is moving anyway

This is perhaps the more important point.

Regardless of whether the letters DVS eventually appear on regulations outside London, commercial vehicle safety technology isn’t standing still.

We’re already seeing greater emphasis on vulnerable road user detection, blind-spot monitoring, moving-off information systems and intelligent warning technology.

Modern systems can do considerably more than display a camera image.

They can identify pedestrians and cyclists, monitor critical areas around a truck and warn the driver when something requires attention.

That’s a very different proposition from the basic camera systems fitted to trucks years ago.

That’s why we developed the OROTEK Sentinel range

We wanted to build a product range that didn’t stop at the minimum.

The OROTEK Sentinel S2 provides a straightforward 2-channel solution, covering the front and nearside of the vehicle with AI-assisted detection and driver alerts.

For operators wanting greater coverage, the Sentinel S4 expands this to four channels — front, left, rear and right.

Then there’s the Sentinel X360.

X360 takes a different approach by combining multiple cameras into a 360-degree bird’s-eye view around the vehicle. We’ve also incorporated technology such as Android functionality, HGV navigation, GPS tracking and remote monitoring.

Different fleets need different levels of technology, which is exactly why we don’t believe one system should be the answer for every vehicle.

A truck driver’s perspective matters

There’s another side to this that sometimes gets forgotten when new safety regulations are discussed.

The person who actually has to use the system is the driver.

Technology can look fantastic on a specification sheet. But if the monitor is difficult to understand, the warnings are constantly producing false alerts or the cameras aren’t positioned correctly, the system becomes frustrating rather than useful.

OROTEK was developed with that practical side of commercial vehicles in mind.

The question shouldn’t just be:

“Does this truck have a safety system fitted?”

It should also be:

“Does that system genuinely help the driver operate the vehicle more safely?”

That’s a much higher standard.

So, what’s next?

Nobody can say with certainty that London’s DVS/PSS scheme will become a nationwide requirement.

For now, it remains a London requirement.

But we’d be surprised if the wider movement towards intelligent HGV safety technology stopped here.

Vehicles are becoming smarter. Detection technology is improving. Regulations are evolving. And expectations around protecting pedestrians and cyclists are unlikely to become less demanding.

For fleet operators planning vehicles that will remain on the road for another five, seven or ten years, that’s something worth considering today.

Don’t just equip a vehicle for today’s journey. Prepare it for where the industry is going.

OROTEK

Intelligent Commercial Vehicle Safety

Sentinel S2 | Sentinel S4 | Sentinel X360

Fleet and installation enquiries: 07380 358026

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Always check the latest TfL requirements for your individual vehicle. Equipment and installation must satisfy the applicable requirements for the vehicle and operation.