DVS2 One Year On: How London’s Premium Hauliers Turned Compliance into ROI

It has been nearly one year since the grace period ended for compliance with phase two of London’s Direct Vision Standard (DVS2). Originally coming into force on 28 October 2024, companies were granted an extended deadline of 4 May 2025 to become compliant. 

Most fleets have completed that transition, embedding DVS2 compliance in day-to-day operations. Logistics leaders are now in a position to take stock of everything they’ve learned since the new baseline was introduced.

DVS2 and PSS explained

The Direct Vision Standard (DVS) measures how much an HGV driver can directly see from their cab windows. It was introduced to reduce the risks HGVs weighing over 12 tonnes pose to pedestrians and cyclists by improving driver visibility and mitigating blind spots. 

The first phase (DVS1), instituted by Transport for London (TfL) in March 2021, aimed to improve safety for vulnerable road users by requiring every HGV on London roads to be in possession of an HGV Safety Permit. TfL awarded permits based on a ‘star’ rating, assessing the level of visibility from the driver’s cab windows at the point of the vehicle’s production. 

To drive an HGV in London, your vehicle needed at least a 1-star rating. However, operators with zero-star rated vehicles could still get a permit by fitting a basic "Safe System" of sensors, mirrors, and alarms to mitigate blind spots. 

Phase two significantly tightened these criteria. Vehicles without a minimum 3-star rating now had to comply with the Progressive Safe System, TfL’s set of safety requirements intended to protect vulnerable road users.

Why DVS1 was not enough

To become compliant, operators with lower-rated vehicles retrofitted their lower-rated vehicles with camera systems, blind spot sensors, and alerts mechanisms. 

But the DVS1 mandate quickly ran into a market problem—a glut of cheap equipment that promised DVS compliance at the lowest possible cost. 

Samsara recently spoke to Dr Steve Summerskill of Loughborough University, whose research formed the basis for DVS. He described a market of “ultrasonic sensors”, sometimes sold for £400 on eBay, that couldn’t differentiate between “a parked car, a lamppost, or a person.” 

“Some of their detection ranges were [approximately] three meters, which means [it’s] almost guaranteed that it's going off”. 

For drivers, these constant false positives turned many journeys into an ordeal of beeping and buzzing alarms. In May 2024, TfL named “cognitive overload” from misfiring sensor alerts as a potential safety hazard. 

This is part of the reason why equipment fitted to comply with DVS1 was not deemed eligible for PSS. As a result, many fleets had to re-install a second set of safety tools, only a few years after their previous compliance push.  

Why compliance requires forward planning

DVS2 compliance has imposed considerable costs. Chris Ashley, Head of Policy and Regulation at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), has cited an illustrative average cost of approximately £3,000 to retrofit just one lorry with PSS-compliant equipment. 

The real-world numbers will vary, but one thing is clear. Fleets have made big investments to reach DVS—in some cases twice-over. But the DVS scheme was designed with road safety in mind, rather than logistics’ companies finances. Viewed on its own, there is no meaningful return on this outlay, other than the ability to operate in London. 

Given the average haulier’s profit margin hit a new low of 1.58% in late 2024, many fleets were in no position to find gold-plated compliance solutions. But non-compliance was certainly not a viable cost-saving strategy either for firms with any regular presence in or around London. 

One Head of Digitalisation at a major UK logistics firm noted that a single driver of a non-compliant vehicle who accidentally crosses into Greater London twice on a single shift can easily rack up £1,000 in penalties. "At that point ... you're operating at a loss."

To navigate the DVS2 transition, they adopted a highly strategic approach. They harnessed market-leading technology to retrofit certain vehicles operating in selected geographic regions, ensuring targeted investment and avoiding unnecessary cost exposure across the wider network.

Unfortunately, fleets who compromised on equipment have paid in other ways. 

A Google search for ‘PSS compliant kits’ will surface an array of aftermarket tools typically based on standalone radar technology. But just as ultrasonic sensors proved inadequate for DVS1, many of these kits currently marketed as supporting DVS2 compliance also have practical limitations. 

Radar-based systems can struggle with spatial resolution, often merging static and moving objects—like a cyclist and a metal railing—into a single false positive. Field trials by Transport Canada and the NHTSA confirm radar generates more false positives on stationary objects compared to smart cameras.

But radar’s most critical flaw for DVS compliance is the lack of context it provides. Even an AI-enabled radar typically cannot show an insurance claims adjuster why an incident happened. Its main function is to log that an incident took place. This can leave fleets with less evidence to challenge disputed or potentially fraudulent claims.

The imperative of smarter DVS compliance

Dr Summerskill makes a clear recommendation: “These technologies still need to improve, and I think that, instead of going for radar-based systems, manufacturers should be going for AI camera-based systems.”

Rather than using radio waves to probe blindspots, 360-degree cameras offer drivers real-time visibility into everything going on around their vehicles. And while, according to Dr Summerskill, radar is “still potentially problematic in terms of false positives”, intelligent systems can differentiate between road users and objects, issuing alerts only when necessary. This spares drivers a great deal of hassle and stress. 

How smart DVS2 compliance saves you money

The biggest difference between a radar kit and an AI camera system isn't just what happens before an incident—it’s what happens after. And that’s where this technology starts to benefit operators’ margins. 

If a collision or near-miss occurs in London, a standard radar-based kit only provides a data log showing an incident triggered an alarm. This is virtually useless to an insurance claims adjuster because it doesn’t establish fault. That’s why meeting the baseline for DVS compliance does not, on its own, necessarily reduce fleets’ insurance costs. 

An AI camera-based system, when used as part of a PSS that is specified and installed in line with TfL’s requirements, provides instantaneous, time-stamped, multi-angle context. If a cyclist ignores a red light, clips the side of an HGV and falls to the ground, the fleet manager doesn't have to wait for a police report or dig through SD cards. The system automatically uploads a clip to the cloud. UK-wide food supplier Delifresh have used video evidence captured by AI Dash Cams to reduce their annual claims costs by 61%. 

Delifresh aren’t the only operators who find that AI systems pay for themselves. Since the Digitalisation specialist’s firm installed Samsara AI Multicam technology across their fleet, they’ve “seen huge benefits in reduction in accident costs, claims, at-fault claims … A good proportion of our accidents happen just outside of the view of the forward-facing camera, so having those two additional side cameras really provides another level of clarity.” 

All this rich data also helps companies develop better feedback loops, using incident footage to coach their drivers. Fleet managers can walk into their annual renewal meetings with hard data proving a downward trend in risk factors. Delifresh’s insurers have been so impressed by their safety measures that they now routinely waive their £1,000 excess. 

Using DVS compliance to grow your market share 

If we think about DVS2’s impact on London’s business landscape, we can spot some big opportunities to turn compliance into a competitive advantage. 

According to TfL data, 266,911 vehicles’ DVS1 permits expired on 27 October 2024. By late 2025, only 116,164 of these previously registered vehicles had passed DVS2. This means that, of all the vehicles that lost their automatic right to enter London, less than half successfully bought their way back in. 

Given UK road freight is dominated by micro-fleets of one to five vehicles, that 150,000 deficit can’t only represent corporate fleet restructuring. Thousands of small operators simply decided that making occasional trips into London wasn’t worth the new entry fee. 

Yet you can still find many of them still operating just outside the M25, where the true opportunities for DVS-compliant fleets lie. 

The ‘London specialist’ premium

Many carriers now favour a "drop-and-swap" subcontracting model. Non-compliant vehicles stop at the Greater London boundary and offload their stock to compliant "London Specialists" for the final miles.

With local HGV capacity significantly reduced, these London Specialists have extra pricing power. But national hauliers will not entrust their premium freight to any local operator with a vehicle and a permit. 

To win these sub-contracts, you must prove you are working at the cutting edge in safety and reliability. That’s why the most competitive subcontractors prominently advertise their FORS Gold accreditation—the highest safety standard. In this lucrative niche, investing in high-performance, AI-based safety tools turns compliance equipment into a competitive edge.  

Looking beyond London 

A mandate that pushed up costs was always bound to be controversial—and the adjustment was harsh for some. But the 50% drop in HGV-related deaths and injuries among pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists on London roads since the scheme’s introduction speaks for itself. DVS is here to stay.

If there’s one lesson from the transition, it’s that half-measures cost more in the long run. Firms who scrimped on implementation ended up paying twice–and were then unable to take advantage of the new market opportunity for subcontractors.  

But the strongest case for investing in AI-based video systems is this: London is just the beginning.

The regulatory appetite for these strict safety measures is spreading far beyond the M25. Manchester is already considering a PSS-style HGV safety permit scheme, and Vision Zero strategies are underway in Bristol and Birmingham. Further afield, European capitals like Paris, Berlin, and Copenhagen actively supported TfL's DVS. Dr Summerskill’s team at Loughborough is working with governments in Canada and Australia to explore similar standards.

The regulatory bar is only heading one way. By equipping your fleet with unified, AI-based camera systems now, you can future-proof your business, safeguard your margins, and secure your position as a premium logistics partner for the decade ahead.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal or regulatory advice. DVS requirements and related standards may change over time, and fleets should consult official Transport for London (TfL) materials and their own advisers for guidance on compliance.