Waiting times at licensing and vehicle examination centres across Perth have reached crisis point, with affected businesses demanding the state government improve resources across the board.
Staff from some truck and car dealerships claim they are waiting up to six hours in queues to get their vehicles inspected.
Some car dealers have also been forced to hire extra staff just to sit in queues.
Frustrated staff at licensing and vehicle examination centres went on strike last week in protest over pay and understaffing.
Motor Trade Association of WA executive director Peter Fitzpatrick said the centres had been run down for some time, with the issue coming to a head in recent months with the loss of staff, long recruitment times and record vehicle sales.
“This is causing enormous problems for industry – truck dealers, motorcycle dealers, gas conversions, car dealers…they are losing staff and hours,” he said.
“We’re paying more stamp duty, the government’s got tax rolling in from vehicles, yet we have one of the worst inspection systems.”
The MTA has been working with the government to fix the problem, recommending the introduction of self-inspection by dealers for new or near new vehicles, or outsourcing the service altogether.
“The government has got to make up its mind whether it wants to be in the vehicle inspection business, and provide adequate staff that are renumerated correctly, or if they’re going to outsource the whole lot,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.
Skipper Trucks dealer principal Simon Ramsay said he often had two or three of his staff waiting in vehicle examination queues all day during peak times.
With the company putting 60 vehicles a month through the centres, Mr Ramsay said the problem was costing him time and money.
“We have people leaving here at 6.30am to be there by 7am, and there would already be 10 vehicles in front of them, waiting,” Mr Ramsay said.
“We’ve got a business to run. We shouldn’t have this extra pressure put on us.”
