What are the UK’s New Road Transport Security Standards?
At the end of May, the UK Department for Transport (DfT) launched its new Road Transport Security Standards to offer guidance to prevent use of vehicles as weapons in terror attacks. TAPA Standards’ experts, Markus Prinz and Panayiotis Laimos take a closer look at the UK requirements and discuss their comparison to the Association’s Trucking Security Requirements (TSR 2023) Standard…
The UK Department for Transport has published new guidance designed to prevent commercial vehicles – including vans, lorries, buses, coaches, and cranes – from being used as weapons in terrorist attacks. This latest initiative, called the Road Transport Security Standards (RTSS), builds upon the existing PAS 29000:2021 standard that was originally published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in 2021.
The 2025 RTSS framework makes the original standard more practical and accessible for fleet operators by providing a comprehensive toolkit and self-assessment survey, likely developed in response to recent global security incidents where commercial vehicles were used as weapons. The enhanced framework sets out comprehensive security measures to prevent criminals and terrorists from accessing commercial vehicles while helping operators develop robust security management systems.
Goals of PAS 29000:2021
PAS[1] 29000:2021 serves a dual purpose of enhancing national security while protecting commercial interests across the UK’s commercial vehicle sector. The primary goal is to prevent commercial vehicles from being exploited for acts of terrorism and serious organised crime by establishing comprehensive security frameworks that create barriers to malicious use. Beyond security objectives, the guidelines aim to help businesses protect their valuable assets and employees while minimising potential financial losses, operational disruptions, and downtime that could result from security incidents. The standard is designed to be scalable and adaptable for businesses of all sizes, covering operators and drivers of light commercial vehicles, heavy goods vehicles, public service vehicles, and mobile plant equipment, regardless of whether these vehicles are owned, leased, or hired.
Achieving Compliance
Compliance with PAS 29000:2021 requires operators to implement a systematic approach to security risk management through several key measures. Organisations must first enhance their awareness of potential security risks and conduct thorough assessments to determine which specific risks apply to their particular business operations. This foundation supports the development of comprehensive security management plans that establish clear accountability structures and management protocols for security oversight. Practical implementation includes conducting rigorous background checks on drivers, including verification of references and employment history, alongside regular visual inspections of vehicles to detect any signs of tampering or unauthorised modifications. To facilitate widespread adoption, the UK government has announced plans to develop formal accreditation and certification schemes for commercial vehicle firms, though specific timelines and details for these programmes are yet to be announced.
Complementary Relationship with TAPA’s TSR Standard
PAS 29000:2021 does not conflict with the existing TAPA (Transported Asset Protection Association) Trucking Security Requirements (TSR) Standards’ requirements as these frameworks address fundamentally different security objectives within the transportation sector. While PAS 29000:2021 focuses specifically on preventing the malicious use of commercial vehicles themselves as weapons in terrorist attacks or serious organised crime, TAPA’s TSR Standard is primarily concerned with protecting drivers, cargo, and transported assets during transit operations. This distinction means that companies can implement both standards simultaneously without regulatory conflict, as PAS 29000 addresses vehicle security to prevent weaponization, while TAPA TSR concentrates on cargo protection and driver safety protocols. The two standards can therefore be viewed as complementary rather than competing frameworks, each addressing distinct aspects of transportation security within their respective scopes of application.
There are also some differences between the two standards: The fundamental difference lies in their regulatory philosophy and scope. RTSS operates as a government regulatory framework addressing national security threats and emphasising compliance with UK law, while TSR represents industry collaboration focused on theft prevention and supply chain resilience. Geographically, RTSS is specifically tailored to UK domestic and border transport concerns, whereas TSR provides internationally applicable standards particularly valuable for cross-border and global supply chains.
The technical approach also differs significantly. TSR includes comprehensive specifications covering real-time tracking systems, specific lock types, detailed driver screening procedures, and precise operational protocols. RTSS provides baseline procedural guidance with less technical prescription, focusing more on general security principles and compliance frameworks rather than detailed technical requirements.
Certification Requirements
Another significant distinction exists between the certification approaches of the PAS 29000:2021 and TAPA TSR 2023 standards, reflecting their different regulatory philosophies and implementation strategies. PAS 29000:2021 operates as an optional certification framework where users are merely advised to consider the desirability of third-party certification of conformity, with BSI offering to facilitate connections with appropriate conformity assessment bodies upon request rather than mandating certification processes.
In contrast, TAPA TSR 2023 functions as a 100% mandatory certifiable standard that requires formal certification for compliance recognition within the TAPA network and among participating supply chain partners. This fundamental difference means that while companies can voluntarily adopt PAS 29000 principles and seek certification at their discretion, TAPA TSR compliance demands rigorous third-party auditing and certification (or self-certification at the entry level) to demonstrate adherence to established security requirements, making TSR certification a prerequisite for addressing many high-security supply chains rather than an optional selection.
Compliance Relationship
TAPA TSR certification can strongly support many RTSS requirements, particularly in vehicle and cargo security measures, driver background screening processes, route monitoring and control systems, and emergency response procedures. The robust security framework provided by TSR often exceeds RTSS baseline requirements and demonstrates commitment to international best practices.
However, RTSS includes unique UK obligations that TAPA TSR may not fully address, even though some of them are covered differently. These include alignment with UK national threat level assessments, compliance with Department for Transport-defined procedures, participation in UK-specific security schemes such as the Haulier Security Accreditation Scheme, and integration with UK law enforcement and security agencies.
Conclusion
TAPA TSR certification provides extensive coverage of RTSS requirements, establishing a robust security framework that addresses the majority of regulatory obligations. The comprehensive nature of TSR standards means that organisations with this certification have already implemented many of the security measures required under RTSS. However, to achieve complete RTSS compliance, some additional UK-specific requirements may need to be addressed, such as localised reporting procedures, specific documentation formats, or region-specific threat assessments.
The relationship between these standards is highly complementary, with TAPA TSR serving as a strong foundation that significantly reduces the compliance gap. Organisations operating in the UK market can leverage their existing TSR certification as a substantial head start towards RTSS compliance. Rather than starting from scratch, companies can focus their efforts on identifying and implementing the remaining UK-specific elements through targeted gap analyses, making the path to full regulatory compliance both efficient and cost-effective.
[1] A PAS (Publicly Available Specification) is a fast-track standardization document – the result of an expert consulting service from BSI. It defines good practice standards for a product, service or process. Google Dictionary.
