Approved Inspection Station approval holder and nominee responsibilities

If you are an AIS approval holder or nominee, you must exercise your responsibilities with due care and diligence.

If you fail to exercise your responsibilities with due care and diligence, we may take action to amend, suspend or cancel your approval and/or issue a penalty infringement notice.

Conditions of your AIS approval

You must comply with the Business Rules for Approved Inspection Stations (business rules). You must also comply with any other conditions listed on your AIS approval.

Depending on the vehicle inspection types listed on your AIS approval notice, you must comply with the:

• Queensland Light Vehicle Inspection Manual, for light vehicles, light trailers and motorbikes
• National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual, for heavy vehicles and heavy trailers.

You must make sure the current version of the Queensland Light Vehicle Inspection Manual and/or the National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual is available at your AIS for use by an approved examiner and any other person at your AIS.

You must make sure that the approved examiner doing the vehicle inspection is familiar with the contents of the Queensland Light Vehicle Inspection Manual and/or the National Heavy Vehicle Inspection Manual to determine if a vehicle is defective.

You must ensure you comply with any conditions imposed on your AIS approval.

General responsibility

AIS approval

You must ensure your AIS approval is current before permitting any vehicle inspections at your AIS. You cannot issue inspection certificates if your AIS approval has expired, lapsed or has been suspended or cancelled. An inspection certificate means a safety certificate or a certificate of inspection.

Your AIS approval cannot be transferred or assigned to another person.

You must produce your AIS approval when requested by an authorised officer (such as a transport inspector or police officer) or any person seeking an inspection certificate.

Nominee requirements

The holder of an AIS approval must have a nominee if the holder:

• is a corporation or a partnership
• holds an AIS approval for another AIS that does not have a nominee
• is a nominee for another AIS
• will not be present at the AIS premises to supervise work daily.

If a nominee stops working at your AIS, you must provide a written notice to the AIS Administrator within 14 days specifying the date the nominee stopped working at your AIS.

If you are required to have a nominee at your AIS and you don’t have one, your AIS approval will be automatically suspended and you cannot issue inspection certificates. Your AIS approval will remain suspended until you have a nominee at your AIS.

Refer to When an AIS approval holder is required to have a nominee.

Equipment and maintenance

You must keep (as a minimum) the required equipment mentioned in the business rules. The required equipment must be properly maintained and work according to manufacturer’s specifications. You must give each nominee access to a copy of the business rules to ensure they know what equipment is required to be kept and maintained at the AIS. Read Inspection area and equipment requirements.

Transfer of equipment from fixed AIS to mobile AIS

An AIS may transfer the required equipment from the fixed AIS to the mobile AIS vehicle if needed. If the required equipment is removed from the fixed AIS (even for a short period), no inspections are to be carried out at the fixed AIS until all required equipment is returned to the fixed AIS premises.

Approved examiners

You and/or your nominees must supervise all approved examiners at your AIS and make sure each approved examiner is aware of their responsibilities. Refer to Approved examiner responsibilities.

You must ensure all approved examiners at your AIS:

• have sound knowledge of their functions as an approved examiner and comply with the conditions of their approved examiner accreditation
• are currently accredited as an approved examiner
• are accredited for the types of vehicles they inspect
• do not inspect vehicles that the AIS is not approved to inspect
• have a current driver licence for the type of vehicle the approved examiner is road testing (for example, a manual driver licence of the appropriate class is required to road rest a manual vehicle).

AIS sign requirements

Fixed AIS sign requirements

You must have a sign at the fixed AIS premises that states the AIS is approved to issue inspection certificates and the AIS approval number. The sign must state:

APPROVED INSPECTION STATION

APPROVAL NO.

The first 3 words (APPROVED INSPECTION STATION) must be at least 100mm high and the remaining words (APPROVAL NO.) must be at least 50mm high.

Mobile AIS sign requirements

If you have a mobile AIS, the vehicle must display the AIS trading name and AIS approval number, which is:

• clearly and legibly displayed on both sides of the mobile AIS
• able to be read and visible from 30 metres.

A magnetic sign may be used if it complies with the above requirements and may be removed from the vehicle if the vehicle is not being used as a mobile AIS.

Document keeping

You must make sure your AIS records including used and unused inspection certificates are kept in a safe and secure place to avoid fire, flood, vermin and any other pests.

Important notifications

Changes to your AIS

You must notify the AIS Administrator in writing within 14 days if there has been changes to any of the following:

• name or location of your AIS
• ownership of your AIS
• approved examiner starts or finishes working at your AIS
• your AIS ceases to trade.

Lost, destroyed or damaged inspection certificates

If an unused inspection certificate belonging to your AIS is destroyed, lost or damaged, you must notify the AIS Administrator by phone immediately. You must also notify the AIS Administrator in writing no later than 14 days after the discovery and the initial phone notification.

Charged or convicted of an offence

If you have been charged with or convicted of a disqualifying offence, you must notify the AIS Administrator in writing within 14 days of being charged or convicted. A disqualifying offence means an offence against the Criminal Code Act 1899 (the Criminal Code) or against another law of another jurisdiction that corresponds to the Criminal Code.

If you have been convicted of a road transport offence, you must notify the AIS Administrator in writing within 14 days. A road transport offence means any offence under theTransport Operation (Road Use Management) Act 1995 or corresponding law, or any offence under the Heavy Vehicle National Law or a law of another state that corresponds to a provision of the Heavy Vehicle National Law. Examples of road transport offences include (but not limited to) careless driving, speeding, drink/drug driving, offences relating to the AIS scheme.

Insolvency

You must notify the AIS Administrator in writing if:

• you become insolvent or placed under administration; or
• your company is being wound up.

Vehicle inspections

You must not issue an inspection certificate before it has been completed and approved by an approved examiner at your AIS.

Inspection fee

You must not charge an amount for vehicle inspections more than the amount that is allowed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads. Refer to AIS fee schedule.

Additional fees for light vehicles

The Queensland Light Vehicle Inspection Manual provides limited circumstances where an additional fee may be negotiated with the customer before the inspection, which is not part of the vehicle inspection fee. This is provided in section 8.11(a), note 3 and only applies to light vehicle brake componentry which is required to be removed for the inspection.

When inspecting a vehicle’s brake discs, pads, drums and linings, an approved examiner may require the removal of one or more wheels. If it is anticipated that additional costs will be incurred conducting this activity, the AIS approval holder/nominee must notify the customer of this requirement and negotiate appropriate labour costs and charges for non-re-useable parts (such as lock nuts, lock tabs, split pins, lubricants, etc.) before proceeding with the inspection.

Costs for repairing light vehicles

An AIS may also charge for labour and for parts required to repair a vehicle. The AIS must advise the customer of these costs and obtain their approval before repairing the vehicle. All charges for labour and parts must be itemised on the customer's invoice and be separate to the vehicle inspection fee. If you don't, it may appear that you are charging a higher amount for the vehicle inspection fee than what is allowed.

Replacement inspection certificate if registration refused

If we refuse a vehicle's registration because the inspection certificate contravened the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995, you must ensure the vehicle is inspected for the issue of a replacement inspection certificate, within 7 days after the person requests it, at a time convenient to the person. The inspection for the replacement inspection certificate must be done free of charge.

Reinspection after issuing an inspection report (failed first inspection)

If your AIS issued an inspection report for a vehicle that has failed the first inspection and the vehicle is returned for reinspection within 14 days:

• the same approved examiner that approved the inspection report must carry out the reinspection; or
• if the approved examiner who did the inspection report is not available, the reinspection may be conducted by another approved examiner approved to work at your AIS and who is accredited to inspect that type of vehicle; or
• if the approved examiner who signed the inspection report or another approved examiner at your AIS is not available, you must either:
  • arrange for the reinspection at another time convenient to the vehicle owner at no further cost; or
  • refund the amount paid for the vehicle’s initial inspection.

If after completing the reinspection, the approved examiner finds the defects in the inspection report have been corrected, you must immediately give the vehicle's owner/driver an inspection certificate.

If the approved examiner finds the defects in the inspection report have not been corrected, or the vehicle is otherwise defective, they must immediately give the vehicle’s owner/driver an inspection report. The inspection report must state how the vehicle is defective.

If the inspection report issued:

• was handwritten, mark the inspection certificate that relates to the inspection report as cancelled; or
• using Inspection Certificates Online (ICO), the inspection must be finalised, and a final inspection report must be issued to the customer.

Vehicle not returned within 14 days after inspection report was issued

If a vehicle has been issued a handwritten inspection report and is not returned to your AIS for reinspection within 14 days, you must mark the inspection certificate (that relates to the inspection report) as cancelled.

If a vehicle has been issued with an inspection report using ICO and is not returned to your AIS for reinspection within 14 days, ICO automatically changes the status of the inspection to closed.

> If a vehicle is returned for reinspection more than 14 days after the inspection report was signed, a new inspection is required. An inspection certificate may only be issued to the owner/driver if the vehicle is free of defects. As this is a new vehicle inspection, an inspection fee may be charged.

Calculating the 14 day period

The 14-day period commences the day after the inspection report is given to the vehicle’s owner/driver. For example, if the inspection report is given to the owner/driver on Monday the 4th day of the month, the vehicle can be returned for reinspection on or before Monday the 18th day of the month.

If the last day of the 14-day period falls on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the last day is taken to fall on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday. For example, if the 14th day falls on a Saturday, the last day of the 14-day period is the following Monday (if the Monday is not a public holiday).

Contact us

Email:	ais@tmr.qld.gov.au
Phone:	13 23 80 (ask for AIS Administrator)
Post:	AIS Administrator Approved Inspection Station Scheme Department of Transport and Main Roads PO Box 673 FORTITUDE VALLEY  QLD  4006