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A PLACE OF TEST

16th September 2004
Page 59
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Page 59, 16th September 2004 — A PLACE OF TEST
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

How far do privately-owned testing stations help to fill the gap left by VOSAls stretched

resources? Adam Hill reports.

It is rarely far from the minds of truck operators, but the plan by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) to increase test fees by 13% has again thrown into sharp relief the issue of testing.

There are currently 91 VOSA test stations, 76 full-time and 15 part-time.The agency denies there has been a significant decline in the number of its own stations over recent years. 'It has been around 90 for a long time," a spokeswoman says. "The majority were built in the 1960s and are still there."

While the debate over wholesale privatisation of the testing process rumbles on,private testing facilities go about their business as socalled "designated premises" (DP). Offering a useful alternative for operators whose VOSA test station may be far away or overburdened; there are now 174 HGV DPs nationwide.The latest figures available, for 2002-03, show that HGV tests carried out at DPs rose from 13.2% to 14.7%. Although the fees levied by VOSA carry a supplement when a test is carried out at a DP, and operators may also have to pay a "pit fee", it is seen as the price of convenience. with many DPs now offering tests virtually full time.

Brighouse-based Iveco Ford dealer Northern Commercials (Mirfield) spent £100,000 on a new pit and all the gear, but within three months was testing five days a week. 'There was a lot of business to be had," explains service director David Gibson. "We advertised locally in West Yorkshire and got hauliers in."

"Before, you just couldn't get stuff done," says Paul Bater,general manager of Scania Purfleet."We became a designated premises in May 2002 primarily to look after our own customers." It is now testing 18-21 axles per day, three days a week.The problem wasn't distance but convenience as its VOSA station, just half a mile away,struggled to cope with demand. "We were having to send trucks to Chelmsford," explains Bater."It has given us better control of resource and greater flexibility to adapt to situations that occur day to day." While the initial building and furnishing, tools and equipment were a "big investment", the DP was designed and developed along with the whole site project,so very little cost has been incurred since.

You are unlikely to get rich from testing, but for many DPs that is not the overriding concern. Northern Commercials says testing revenue is around £25,000 per annum, but that this is substantially offset by bay maintenance costs, which run well into the thousands. "The lane does make money but it is done more as a convenience for our customers," explains Gibson. James Armstrong, managing director at Derek Jones Commercials, is equally clear about the reason for offering the service:"We make a lower return from the test lane than we do from a standard workshop bay but that is not the point.The strategy is to create a convenient and local one-stop-shop for the customer, which in the long run helps to build and protect business."

For operators or dealers interested in becoming DPs, there are a variety of hoops to go through. First, you need to apply for approval to the Station manager at your local VOSA testing station, who will contact you to discuss details within five working days and to arrange a site meeting. Think very carefully before making any alterations to your premises before an "approval in principle" which contains items you need to address is offered by VOSA.The station manager will discuss workloads and days of testing with you, which fall into two categories: more or less than 250 hours (35 days). Payment for test fees is usually via a pre-funded account.You'll have to agree a minimum and maximum amount of work per day. based on the total number of hours available for testing. One key here is the distance between the DP and VOSA test station: civil service rules state that an increase in time taken to attend a DP means a reduction in time available for testing.

Start date Once a start date has been set. VOSA provides the staffing required to undertake the agreed level of testing.You will be expected to help VOSA to train staff on the system of operation, equipment usage, your health and safety policy and so on.VOSA will give you a minimum of four weeks' notice when it can't provide a member of staff.

Whether the proximity of VOSA testers to DP workshops means minor faults are dealt with more quickly for operatos is a moot point. Armstrong says:"I'm sure the DP testers build relationships with the adjacent workshop managers, foremen and technicians and this will inevitably lead to better working arrangements which will be to the operators' benefit." Bater agrees:-The benefits come from the relationship each DP has with its VOS A staff. Having said this, the decision to retest any quicker lies with the tester and his time constraints."

While becoming a DP is far from a "get rich quick" scheme, it could be a useful means of safeguarding custom, particularly if you are currently looking to refurbish your site. •


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