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Builders' merchants push for better servicing
Page 10
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FOUR OF THE UK'S biggest builders' merchants have become so concerned about how their vehicles are serviced that they have formed a group to put pressure on dealers to do the job better.
The Builder Merchants Transport Group will operate within the Freight Transport Association (FTA). Founder-members include Travis Perkins, Jewson, Wolseley UK and Buildbase.
Chris Ruane, the FTA's sector head for construction and plant, says: "There is a concern across the board that some dealerships don't do servicing as well as others. One of the roles of this new group is to put pressure on them and make them understand that if a vehicle has defects or fails an MoT the buck does not stop with the dealer, it stops with the 0-licence holder."
The group has been formed following a conferenceorganised by builders' merchants in Scotland at the end of last year further conferences are now planned. The next is likely to be in the North-West, says Ruane.
Scottish Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken has sent a statement of support to the group, which will emphasise to dealers the damaging effect of insufficient defect reporting, poor paperwork and inadequate body repairs.
Graham Bellmaft group fleet transport manager for Travis Perkins, says: "We are keen to be proactive in maintaining and improving our working relationship with commercial vehicle dealerships in the pursuit of compliance excellence.
"Co-operation and a greater understanding of the issues that operators face can only result in a win-win situation all round," he Concludes.