A new drive-away welfare vehicle is being launched by Clarks Vehicle Conversions for customers who want an off-the-peg messing conversion for under £10,000.

The welfare conversion comes complete with standard messing facilities and a toilet plus a whole range of accessories from a side camera to a complete tow bar step system.

Clarks has a long history in the conversion industry which stretches back to 1985 when they built their first welfare van for the railway sector but much has changed in the last 30 years.

The new welfare vehicle had to be lighter, cheaper and above all meet the highest safety standards set by the VCA – a brief which the company says it has achieved.

David Healy, commercial and finance manager, said: “Our customers told us that they wanted a lighter and cheaper welfare vehicle so we’ve listened and acted on it.

“We are delighted to launch our new welfare conversion that not only weighs less than its predecessor but at £9,999 it is a very competitive price for a fully-loaded conversion.”

The welfare vehicle comes with a host of essential accessories including health and safety must-haves like a first aid kit, eye wash station, grab handles and Chapter 8 livery.      

“In particular, we wanted to include a side camera because blind spot detection is high on the agenda for fleet operators whose priority is to keep road users safe,” explained Healy.   

The Clarks welfare conversion not only costs less but it also weighs 150kg less than its predecessor, which will improve fuel economy and reduce wear and tear on the vehicle.

To reduce the weight on the conversion, engineers at Clarks redesigned its layout to cut down on materials and swapped some of the parts they used for lighter alternatives.

Healy said: “Customers want a lighter van because it helps improve fuel efficiency which has the obvious benefits of reducing costs and cutting down emissions.

“We looked at lots of small ways of reducing weight, which add up to a big saving. This gives our customers more payload to play with whilst maintaining high safety standards.”

The conversion will be available with seven seats on all makes and models of van, and crucially they will be built according to Type Approved standards set by the VCA.

Clarks was the first company to achieve National Small Series Whole Vehicle Type Approval from the VCA in 2013 for its welfare conversions across a number of base vehicles.

The drive-away welfare conversion comes with 12 months nationwide aftersales care.


 

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