Wincanton in council drive
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• Wincanton Vehicle Rentals is launching a division specialising in offering trucks and vans to local authorities forced by law to put their transport and other services out to tender.
The new division will be headed by public sector development manager Barry Doddington, formerly transport services officer with Hampshire County Council. It will offer rental, leasing and contract maintenance deals, as well as direct purchase options through Arlington Motors, another Wincanton subsidiary.
The move pre-empts, by about a week, a similar one by rival TNT, which is due to launch public sector and waste management divisions on Friday (16 September).
Both companies see huge opportunities arising from the new legislation. "This is one of the most important initiatives to affect distribution in local government, the public sector and waste management," says TNT. Details of TNT's plans are being held back until Friday's launch, which will be attended by Stuart Vincent, general manager of TNT Waste Control in Sydney.
Doddington says that Wincanton's move will be a "dedicated attack on the public sector". As more and more councils launch in-house transport management organisations on a commercial basis and are "looking toward value for money", there is a great potential for private contract hire and rental firms to supply vehicles, he says.
Wincanton's division will be based at its head office in Camberley, and Doddington will be able to draw on WVR's vehicle fleet of 5,500. Although the company is already "actively" involved in public sector leasing, this will be a more direct approach, he says.
He will look at fleet takeover, leaseback and contract maintenance options which include workshop staff as well as mainstream contract hire and rental. Drivers will not be included in any deal.
Most vehicles from vans to top-range trucks will be on offer, and WVR will also "display an interest" in requests for special vehicles such as gutley cleaners, jetters and plant.
Authorities like Wandsworth in London have led the way in hiving off transport services.