TRL has been appointed by the Department for Transport (DfT) as the PAS 2161 approvals auditor, supporting the consistent and independent assessment of road condition monitoring (RCM) technologies across England through to 31^st December 2030.

Under the contract, TRL will independently assess and approve technology providers to verify that their systems can deliver road condition data in accordance with PAS 2161 requirements. This will provide local highway authorities with greater confidence that the data used to inform highway maintenance and asset management decisions is accurate, compliant and nationally comparable, regardless of the technology platform used, supporting evidence-based asset management and long-term investment decisions across the highway network.

PAS 2161 establishes a consistent framework for collecting and reporting RCM data, enabling comparable network-level reporting regardless of the technology used. From 2026 onwards, local highway authorities will be required to submit classified road condition data to DfT in the PAS 2161 format, using technologies approved through the formal assessment process.

Mat Brough, Director of Asset Management for TRL, said: “TRL is delighted to have been appointed by the Department for Transport as the PAS 2161 approvals auditor, supporting the consistent assessment of road condition monitoring technologies across England.

“In this role, TRL will independently assess technology providers to ensure they can deliver road condition data in line with PAS 2161, the national standard for road condition assessment. This will enable local highway authorities to compare outputs with confidence, regardless of the technology used, helping to ensure that the data informing highway asset management decisions is accurate, compliant and suitable for national benchmarking.”

“Alongside the approvals process, TRL will work closely with local highway authorities and technology suppliers to raise awareness of PAS 2161, support supplier engagement, and ensure approved technologies continue to meet the required standard through the ongoing two-year re-approval cycle.”

Technology providers interested in achieving PAS 2161 approval and local highway authorities seeking further information on the approvals process will be able to access guidance and support through TRL over the duration of the contract.

TRL will be seeking/engaging local authority engineers to provide independent impartial assessment of benchmark sites.

Technology providers and Local authorities can contact TRL via RCMTrials@trl.co.uk or visit PAS 2161