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Vosa cutbacks will cost many operators time and money
Page 12
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Operators offering annual tests are being hit by Vosa cutbac
their customers aren't happy either. David Craik reports.
A SCUNTHORPE-based operator says it has been forced to cut the number of tests it provides at its site because of a Vosa decision to reduce staffing levels.
Nigel Graham, fleet service manager at Clugston Distribution Services, contacted CM after reading that Hatfield firm Scan truck had received a letter from Vosa stating that it intended to reduce the number of test days from five to three from 1 August ( CM20 July).
Clugston has also been written to by Vosa,which says it will cut the staff that its Grimsby test station provides to the firm's designated premises test site in order to save money.
The letter warns: "Grimsby will not provide staff to do Saturday or weekday out-of-hours testing unless we have a forward-booking problem at the station."
Graham reports that Clugston had been pushing for more testing to take place at its site. He says Clugston was encouraged "four or live years agoby Vosa to build a test lane: the firm has invested up to £400,000 on its development.
"We've built it up and built it up," he adds "The idea was to help the environment [by reducing unne-c essaryjourneys].With this cut in the number of tests and the cancellation of Saturday testing we'll have lorries that cannot get a test slot at our premises making a 60-mile round trip when they could have just gone round the corner. Our £1,000-a-week income from bookings will be knocked quite a bit.
"Vosa will not bend. Some of our customers have also cornplained.They've gone berserk. It is really going to cost them."
A spokesperson for one customer. Scanlink of Scunthorpe. says it has written a letter of complaint to Vosa: "Our trucks, which would usually only be out for an hour, will now be out for half the clay.We'll also have to pay more for fuel to cover the 60-mile round trip we'll need to take. It's a pain."