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EBPMS – Quick guide

To commercial Fleet Operators – Effective from April 2025

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Quarterly Laden Brake Testing or EBPMS

From April 2025, the DVSA’s Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness mandates that UK trailers must either:

  • Undergo four laden roller brake tests per year (i.e., with the trailer at load)
  • Or be fitted with a compliant Electronic Brake Performance Monitoring System (EBPMS)

This replaces the previous requirement of a single annual test.

EBPMS – Quick guide

Exemptions

Certain vehicle types may be exempt from quarterly laden testing, such as:

  • Unladen tri-axle semitrailers
  • Vehicles typically operated under 65% of permitted axle weight
  • Special-purpose vehicles where imposing a load is impractical

If exempt, operators must complete a written risk assessment to confirm why laden testing wasn’t feasible.

What an EBPMS Must Achieve

Under the DVSA’s EBPMS industry specification the system must:

  • Continuously record braking events—pressure, deceleration, load, gradient, timestamp
  • Calculate a braking performance value with at least 95% confidence and ≤ 3% error margin
  • Exclude invalid data (e.g. during ABS cycling)
  • Compensate for road incline/gravity
  • Alert operators to underperforming brakes or ABS/EBS faults
  • Identify individual brake defects when data allows
  • Allow export of compliance-ready braking performance reports (with trends, timestamps, and vehicle ID)
  • Store verifiable data for up to 36 months
  • Support annual maintenance inspections

Any system update affecting its performance must be declared

DVSA’s Guide

Validation & Certification

To be accepted, EBPMS must undergo testing and certification by a competent body or person , confirming the system meets DVSA specifications. Documentation should include evaluation results, supported vehicle types, and any environmental or operational limitations

DVSA’s EBPMS industry

Operational Requirements

  • Safety inspections must include either a brake test or EBPMS data review
  • Operators must ensure the system is technically maintained , and data integrity is safeguarded (e.g., secure audit logs).
  • Drivers must perform daily walkarounds and report defects, including those related to brakes gov.uk

Business Benefits

Switching to EBPMS can:

  • Reduce costs: avoid multiple roller brake tests (each costing £300–400 ), saving around £1,200 per trailer per year )
  • Minimise downtime: no need to detach and load trailers for testing
  • Improve safety: detect brake degradation early
  • Support Earned Recognition schemes by evidencing proactive safety management
EBPMS Benefits

Summary Table

Requirement EBPMS + one annual RBT Four laden RBTs/year Risk Assessment Exemption
DVSA Compliance (from April 2025) (if valid exemption)
Compliance Documentation Braking performance report Roller test report Risk assessment
Data Storage 36 months N/A N/A
Alerts for Brake Issues (if valid exemption)

In summary , choose EBPMS to align with April 2025 DVSA rules while benefitting from continuous monitoring, cost savings, fewer brake tests, and enhanced fleet safety. If not using EBPMS, be prepared for four laden brake tests per year or valid exemptions with risk assessments.