Fleet briefs: Latest from Fleet Assist, BSI, TruTac, Vision Techniques and Aston Barclay

Fleet Assist launch new EV Premier Van Centre network

Fleet Assist has set up a nationwide network of 900 Premier Van Centres capable of servicing and maintaining vans and chassis cabs of up to 4.25 tonnes gross vehicle weight (GVW).

The company said the network was set up to accommodate the anticipated growth of new electric vans plated at 4.25 tonnes GVW being onboarded by fleets.

Each garage with EV Premier Van Centre status has the premises, equipment, and technicians to service and maintain larger LCVs, in particular those with hybrid and electric power units, said Fleet Assist.

Vincent St Claire, managing director (MD) at Fleet Assist, said: “The additional weight of electric LCVs has meant the Government has extended the gross vehicle weight from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes that can be driven legally on a Category B car licence for five years.

“This is great news for operators as electric van payloads have increased, but for garages it means having vehicle lifts in their workshops capable of accommodating the heavier vehicles.

“Many dealers will simply not be equipped to handle these vans which is where our EV Premier Van Centre network comes into its own. It avoids misdirection of SMR work to garages unprepared for heavy weight LCVs.”

BSI becomes UKAS accredited lab for EV charger testing

BSI, the business standards and improvement company, has received accreditation from UKAS for their electric vehicle (EV) charger testing and certification labs.

BSI has several offerings in the EV charger space including product safety and performance testing, IECEE CB Certificates for those looking to export, a new specification on accessible public charge points (PAS 1899:2022) and a Kitemark for Electric Vehicle Charging.

This Kitemark complements BSI’s existing Electric Vehicles Charging standards (BS EN 61851 series), said the BSI. 

Graham McKay, global head of energy products at BSI, said: “Being the first to achieve UKAS accreditation demonstrates BSI’s leading role in shaping the future of EV charger testing and certification.

“Our collaborative approach to standard development provides much needed reassurance to current and future electric vehicle owners of the safety, performance and quality of chargers that are certified by BSI.

“As the only UKAS accredited lab for EV charger testing, as well as being a CB test lab for EV chargers under the global IECEE scheme, we are in a unique position to accelerate the development of trusted and reliable EV charging technology in the UK and overseas, encouraging a greater uptake of electric vehicles and helping drive the transition to a net-zero economy.”

CSM re-sign with Aston Barclay for third year

CSM, a dealership group comprising five sites dealing in new and used cars and LCVs across the southwest has re-signed Aston Barclay as its remarketing partner for a third year running.

With dealership sites across Basingstoke, Yeovil, Taunton, Bridgwater, and Street, CSM will continue to remarket its used part exchange stock via Aston Barclay’s purpose-built Westbury auction centre, at its weekly Dealer Part Exchange and Commercial sales.

CSM expects to sell more than 500 used vehicles via Aston Barclay in the next 12 months, through in-person and digital hybrid sales.

Chris Clarkson, MD of CSM Group, said: “Following the success of our last two years’ partnership with Aston Barclay, we are delighted to re-sign this partnership for a third consecutive year.

“Thanks to Aston Barclay’s hybrid sales format and strong customer base, we continue to enjoy great sell-through rates and strong values.

“Better still, Aston Barclay’s customer-focussed approach means that have never felt that we get lost amongst their many sales, we are confident that all customers receive the same attention, whatever their size.”

Vision Techniques helps enhance fleet safety for Hartlepool Council

Vision Techniques has been commissioned by Hartlepool Council to help improve the safety of its fleet of 52 HGVs and passenger transport vehicles.

The safety equipment supplier said it will install its Brakesafe and Ident Plus safety systems for the council's fleet. 

The Brakesafe system stops rollaways by implementing a handbrake failsafe system.

Liam Wilkinson, Hartlepool Council's fleet officer, said: "We've worked in partnership with Vision Techniques for over ten years and have relied on their innovations to help us enhance fleet safety.

"Unfortunately, we've seen instances of rollaways in other parts of the country, and as a local authority, we need to eliminate risk wherever possible.

“Our absolute priority is to ensure we are creating a safe environment for our people to work in and that our vehicles are the safest they can be for the public, and these products help us do that."

TruTac rolls out new feature to help with asset control

TruTac, part of the Microlise Group, has introduced a new feature to help streamline vehicle records and audit data.

The new feature - Vehicle Profile, centralises vehicle data and has a direct link to DVLA’s vehicle data API.

The feature is available within TruTac’s existing compliance software products – TruAnalysis, TruFleet and TruChecks.

Jemma James, MD at TruTac, said: “The Vehicle Profile feature, as with all our product enhancements, has been developed in cooperation with the commercial transport industry and is designed not only to ensure faster and more efficient data but also to make fleet management easier.”

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