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WVTA sparks concern from manufacturer
Page 15
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A YORKSHIRE BODY and trailer maker has voiced concerns about how Whole Vehicle Type Approval [WVTA] will he policed, the standard of the proposed regulations and the potential price hike for bespoke products.
WVTA will apply to trailers built in one stage from October 2012, with multi-stage builds following in 2013. The regulations require inspection of new builds for compliance.
Mick Hodgson, right, managing director of Wakefield-based Micra Truck Bodies, expressed disquiet over how WVTA will be policed , especially as makers are being encouraged to type approve and certificate products themselves.
"What is to stop you writing out a ticket right now?" he says. "I do agree with WVTA, but not the way it is being done."
Hodgson is also anxious that the regulations hold everyone to the same standard throughout the EU.
The vast majority of UK body and trailer manufacturers were already complyingwith the WVTA standards, he says.
"The EU is bringing regulations in on things that we stopped doing 20 years ago." "In Europe, things are very standardised, but in the UK, things are still bespoke, and we have the skills to do it. WVTA is bringing us into standardisation."
With 90% of the 350 products built each year bespoke, type-approving more specification for limited building, WVTA will increase the cost for operators.
"Adding £5,000 for type approval [testing and certification] on something [unique] that costs more than £160,000 to build does not impact so much, but what about [individual] specifications on cheaper products?" he adds.
The result would be that operators are more likely to consider standardised products when they need something a bit more specific.
• See next week's CM for a detailed explanation on what WVTA is and how it might affect you.