What is the Direct Vision Standard?

The Direct Vision Standard (DVS) is a legislation enforced by Transport for London (TfL) requiring HGVs weighing more than 12 tonnes to possess a permit to drive in Greater London. This legislation does not only apply to vehicles in the UK. You will still need to obtain a permit if you are driving into London from overseas.  From October 2024, DVS was upgraded to the Progressive Safe System (PSS).

The permit is based on a vehicle’s ‘star rating’, indicating how much a driver can see from the cab. The rating (0-5) is given on how the vehicle left the production line and will not consider any aftermarket safety systems that have been fitted.

You will need to equip vehicle safety equipment if your vehicle does not meet a minimum rating of 3 stars. If you do not have a permit, operators and drivers will receive daily fines.

In October 2024, the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) was upgraded to the Progressive Safe System (PSS). The PSS increases the minimum star rating required for a DVS permit to 3 stars for vehicles weighing over 12 tonnes to drive in Greater London.

Extra vehicle safety equipment will need to be fitted to your vehicle if it does not meet a minimum rating of 3 stars. If you do not have a permit, operators and drivers will receive daily fines. £550 to the operator and £130 to the driver.

You may have fitted equipment before the Progressive Safe System was introduced. In this case, your vehicle might be below the minimum of three stars. You can contact Brigade to confirm whether you need to upgrade your vehicle. Alternatively, you can view our DVS compliant kits to see which kit you may need.