Roadworthy at Work - Get Your Certificate Without Taking Time Off
I inspected this Audi Q2 at the owner’s workplace in Loganholme today. She had recently bought the car from NSW and needed a Queensland roadworthy to register it here. But she couldn’t afford to take time off work to sit at a mechanic’s workshop.
Here’s how it worked. She booked online, chose the flexible option, and selected her work address as the inspection location. I messaged her when I was on the way. When I arrived, I called her. She came outside for one minute, handed me the key, and went back to work. I did the inspection in the car park, the car passed, and I sent the safety certificate to her email. Then I handed the keys back. Total disruption to her work day – about two minutes.
After work, she drove straight to a TMR customer service centre with the certificate on her phone and completed the registration process. New QLD plates, done.
Why your workplace is often the best location
Most people think of a roadworthy as something you do at home. But your workplace can actually be the perfect spot.
Your car is already there. No extra driving, no rearranging your day. You park it in the morning, I inspect it during the day, and it’s done by the time you finish work.
You don’t need to be present. Once I have the key, you go back to your desk. I handle everything. You get the result by email and a text message when I’m done.
No time off needed. You don’t have to take a half day, burn a sick day, or shuffle your schedule. The inspection happens while you work.
Car parks work well. Most workplace car parks are flat, accessible, and have enough space for me to work around the vehicle and do the test drive. As long as the car isn’t parked behind a boom gate I can’t access or in a tight underground spot with no room to move, a car park is ideal.
How to book a workplace inspection
It’s the same as booking for your home address. Go to the online booking system, enter your work suburb and address, choose your time option, and book. In the notes, mention that the car is at your workplace so I know what to expect.
The flexible option ($110) works well for workplace inspections because I arrive between 8am and 4.30pm – so the inspection happens during your work hours without you needing to specify an exact time.
If you need to be there when I arrive – for example to hand over the key – and want a narrower window, book the priority option ($140) and choose a 2-hour slot that fits around your lunch break or a gap in your schedule.
Or if you can leave the key somewhere accessible – with reception, in a lockbox, under the mat – book it as an unattended inspection and you don’t need to come outside at all.
Compare this to a workshop visit
Taking your car to a workshop for a roadworthy means driving there, dropping it off, waiting around or arranging a lift back, then going back to pick it up later. That’s easily half a day gone – plus the fuel to get there and back. If the workshop is busy, your car might sit there for hours before they even look at it.
With a mobile inspection at your workplace, your car stays where it is, you stay at your desk, and the whole thing is done in about 20-30 minutes. No driving, no waiting, no disruption.
