CVORI - Operator Risk Indicator

The RSA has implemented a risk rating system for heavy commercial vehicle operators.

The risk rating system, which is called CVORI (Commercial Vehicle Operator Risk Indicator) aims to improve the safety of heavy commercial vehicles on our roads, making journeys safer for all.


If you are a commercial vehicle operator you may be inspected by the RSA either at your premises or your drivers might be stopped at the roadside.

The RSA will use the CVORI risk rating system as a tool to help decide which operators should be inspected.

How can I access my Risk Rating?

To access your Risk Rating you must first register with us for an Online CVRT account and complete an online self declaration to the RSA as regards the Heavy Goods Vehicles, Buses, Trailers and Ambulances in your fleet. Only operators who have  submitted a current self declaration have the ability to view their risk rating online.

If you have already registered and completed your self declaration you can log in to your operator portal to access your risk rating
To register for your CVRT Online Account and submit your Self-Declaration visit our Registration Page

If you have completed your Self Declaration and still cannot access your Risk Rating online please contact the CoVIS helpdesk on it.support@cvrt.ie or +353 1 963 5149 for assistance.

How the risk rating system works riskrating

The system is based on data collected by the RSA over a 3 year rolling period. There are two separate operator risk areas

Roadworthiness        Based on items that relate to the safety condition of your vehicle(s) and your compliance with legal obligations regarding vehicle roadworthiness.
Driver Hours  Based on items that relate to your compliance in relation to drivers hours and tachograph rules, the working time directive and applicable requirements to hold a Road Transport Operator Licence and Drivers CPC​

An operator can have a different level of compliance in each.


Example

An operator can have a Red risk rating in Drivers Hours but a Green risk rating in Roadworthiness.

Understanding your own Risk Rating 

The following documents have been developed by the RSA to help Operators understand their own risk rating when viewing it online and it also contains risk rating sample reports and some explanations of important areas.​

What does the risk rating mean for HCV Operators?

Operators having a Red rating can expect to have a higher number of inspections from the RSA than those having a lower or Green rating. 

Having a risk rating of Green does not mean that you will never be inspected by the RSA.

Random inspections will continue to carried out by the RSA and so every Operator can still expect some level of RSA inspections.

What are your risk ratings used for and who will have access to them?

Your risk ratings, and any information contained in them, are a tool used to assist in targeting of enforcement. They are used only as a guide to assist the RSA in directing it’s limited enforcement resources more effectively and efficiently at those Operators who may have a higher likelihood of being non-compliant and there fore pose a greater risk to road safety.

Any information contained or displayed on your risk ratings are not evidence of, or relevant to, any other purpose.

Your risk rating information is personal to you as an Operator and is only used by the RSA for the purposes set out in the current legal framework. This framework relates only to the use of risk ratings in terms of frequency of inspections and to assist in targeting of enforcement.

Risk Rating Bands

Risk Rating Band  Risk Type 
Green Low Risk
Amber  Medium Risk 
Red  High Risk 
Grey  Unknown risk (where no operator data is available) 

Each operator is assigned one risk rating for Roadworthiness and one for Drivers Hours.

What time period are the risk ratings based on?

Encounters with the RSA over the last three years are taken into account and split into a 3 year rolling period.

Timeframe  Time Weighting
Year 1 - Encounters that happened in the last 12 months Highest 
Year 2 - Encounters that happened between 13 and 24 months  Medium 
Year 3 - Encounters that happened between 25 and 36 months  Lowest 

The older the encounter the less influence it will have on your rating.

Encounters that happened more than 36 months ago are not included.

Example

An operator had

  • 1 driver hour roadside inspection during January 2019
  • 1 driver hour premises inspection during December 2016

Both of these inspections will be included on the operators driver hour risk rating, but the inspection that happened in January 2019 will have a greater influence on the rating than the one which happened in Dec 2016.

How are risk ratings assigned?

Only information from RSA encounters with you are used when calculating your risk rating.

Risk Rating Area  Where the data comes from 
Roadworthiness  Roadside and premises inspections, vehicle testing, completion of self-declaration, prosecutions 
Driver Hours Roadside and premises inspections, prosecutions 


Infringements and/or defects arising from encounters are included and their influence on the risk rating is determined by their severity.

Infringement Severity* Defect Severity* Compliance Weighting
Very Serious Infringement (VSI)  Dangerous Defect (DaD)  Highest 
Serious Infringement (SI)  Major Defect (MaD)  Medium 
Minor Infringement (MI)  Minor Defect (MiD)  Lowest 

 *Severities of infringements and defects are as defined in legislation and Testing Manuals..

Where there is evidence of an operator carrying out compliant actions these are also included.

Action  Compliance 
Self-Declaration  Completion of annual self-declaration is viewed as compliant behaviour 
Timeliness of Annual Testing  Presenting a vehicle on-time for its annual test is viewed as compliant behaviour 
Voluntary Testing  Voluntary testing in between a vehicles annual statutory test is viewed as being good practice. 

The inputs for an Operator are established and then the relevant compliance weightings are applied.

Improve your risk rating.

The easiest way to help improve your risk rating is to do the basic things right.

Roadworthiness  Driver Hours 
Have current CRWs displayed on all of your vehicles   Make sure your drivers comply with the driving time, breaks and rest periods and working time rules
Keep your vehicles roadworthy. Have preventative maintenance systems in place to check your vehicles for potential defects  Check that your tachograph equipment and driver cards work properly and drivers can use them correctly. 
Always conduct walk-around checks before driving vehicles - keep records of the defects found and when they were fixed  Keep adequate records on Drivers Hours (including analogue and digital tachograph records) 
Have a current Operator Self-Declaration submitted to the RSA via your CVRT Online Account  Make sure all the vehicles you operate are on your transport licence (where required) 
Make use of CVRT voluntary tests to supplement your annual test.  Comply with EU Rules, Irish Regulations and provisions of the Working Time Directive 

Your Risk Rating & Voluntary Testing.

Voluntary testing is encouraged and any voluntary tests carried out on your HCV vehicles at authorised test centreswill improve your roadworthiness risk rating. Operators will not be penalised for any defects found during voluntary tests in terms of their risk rating assessment. However, Operators should ensure that any defects detected are rectified as soon as possible via their maintenance systems.

All voluntary tests, carried out in the last rolling 12 months are included and the timing of when you present for your voluntary test, relative to when your vehicles annual CVR test is due, is also taken into account.

So, if you present for your voluntary test vehicle mid-test-cycle (for example six months after your annual test) you will get a greater benefit than if you present for your voluntary test a few days before your annual CVR test is due.

The reasoning for this is that, presenting a vehicle for a voluntary test six months before or after your annual test, is viewed as a stronger indicator that the vehicle is being maintained and having regular checks outside of the vehicles annual CVR test as against, for example, a vehicle presenting for a voluntary test one week before the annual CVR Test where it is most likely an indicator of a diagnostic pre test.

Please note that voluntary tests carried out on HCV's are taken into consideration in the risk rating assessment.

Voluntary testing on LCVs is not included however voluntary testing of LCV’s is considered good practice and can be used to supplement an Operators LCV maintenance regime.

There are two different types of voluntary tests​ available at CVR testing centres.

Different voluntary test options may suit different operators depending on what maintenance regimes or types of facilities operators have in-house and either voluntary test  can be used as a supplementary test in addition to  your annual CVR test.

Voluntary testing is not a requirement in order for an operator to be assigned a “Green” roadworthiness risk rating and, on its own, voluntary testing will not mean that an Operator is automatically assigned a “Green” risk rating status. Voluntary testing is, however, encouraged by the RSA as it demonstrates that an operator is carrying out additional checks on their vehicles during the course of the year. Voluntary testing, in tandem with good inspection outcomes and good compliance levels in other areas of roadworthiness, will help you to improve your risk rating.

Important Note:

It is only the frequency and timing of any voluntary testing on HCV vehicles which is taken into account as regards an operator’s risk rating not the result of the voluntary test or any defects which may have been found.

Find out more information about improving your road safety compliance and maintaining your vehicles in a roadworthy condition by visiting our Operator and Driver Obligations section. 

How often are risk ratings updated.

Every weekend all operator risk ratings are re-calculated.

This allows

  • new encounters (such as inspections or annual tests) to be included in risk calculations.
  • older encounters to be discarded from risk rating
  • updates covering evidence of compliant actions (such as completion of self-declaration)
  • newly registered operators to be assigned a risk rating

Usually your rating will stay the same unless you have self declared or have some new encounters or some older encounters have moved outside the 3 year rolling period.

When you have access to view your rating from your online account you will be easily be able to see any new encounters and what impact, if any, they had on your risk rating.  

If you think your risk rating is incorrect

Feedback on any potential errors or omissions in your risk rating can be sent to us by email at cvori@rsa.ie or call the CoVIS helpdesk on 01 963 5149 so that we can review them and if necessary correct them. 

Please include the following information in any correspondence with us and/or have the following information to hand prior to calling:

Your CVRT account number  -  you will find this number at the top right hand corner of the page when you log into your CVRT online account – it begins with “OP_”

Specific details of what the error or omission is – including as much information as you can for example registration number, dates or times and so on.

NOTE: Where a roadside or premises inspection has taken place the enforcement officer will have explained the findings to you or your driver. Inspection findings are based on evidence found on the day and recorded as such. If you note a discrepancy between your RSA record and the results issued to you on the day of inspection this should be reported to enforcement@rsa.ie.

Visit our contact us page for processes regarding any appeals or complaints on the outcome of a commercial vehicle test. 

What is the EU and National Legislation supporting Risk Rating ?

Related Content

Chat to Chris!