BVRLA News
www.bvrla.co.uk August/September 2012
The newsletter of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association
Safety recall: sign up now! The BVRLA and technology company Ebbon-Dacs are urging more manufacturers to sign up for ReCare, the new online vehicle safety recall system developed for the fleet industry. Now running with a number of BVRLA rental and leasing members, ReCare is a free service that matches vehicle manufacturer VIN-based safety recall data to fleet vehicles. Ford, Fiat, Mazda, Chevrolet and Volvo have already backed the project, which has also had input from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and vehicle provenance check providers. Ebbon-Dacs has been working with the BVRLA for almost a year to develop a web-based vehicle recall system that will provide a single point for all manufacturers to list their safety recall notifications. BVRLA members or their appointed agents can retrieve the information by inputting their own fleet data for comparison purposes. The ReCare system shows all vehicles that are subject to a new safety recall notification and highlights fleet vehicles with outstanding recalls to their fleet operator. It also has the potential to cover non-safety recalls.
September sees final reviews being carried out, including final validation of reports with fleet operators and manufacturers before the system is officially ready to go live, in line with a pre-agreed schedule. “This system has the potential to support massive duty of care and road safety benefits to the fleet sector,” said BVRLA chief executive John Lewis. “It will also reduce the cost and administrative burden faced by manufacturers trying to notify recalls to thousands of different fleet owners.” According to VOSA, there were 219 safety recalls in 2011, affecting 1.3 million vehicles. Steve Molyneux, head of commercial of the Leaselink International division of Ebbon-Dacs, said: “There has been a generally wide recognition of the benefits the project can bring and a strong desire to contribute to it from all parties we have worked with. “Our primary objective in introducing this new ‘standard’ on behalf of the BVRLA has always been to simplify the process and reduce the administrative burden fleet operators face in handling vehicle recalls.” n
Lewis: end of an era draws near BVRLA chief executive John Lewis has announced that he will be stepping down from his post in the Spring/ Summer of 2013. Representatives from the BVRLA’s Committee of
Management are currently finalising a recruitment and handover plan, and John will continue to work part-time at the association for a further year to ensure a smooth transition. “In the meantime, I will continue to focus on the many challenges our industry faces and I look forward to meeting members at some of our forthcoming events,” he said.
In this issue Rental must adapt to age discrimination law The BVRLA launches its guide to the new laws on age discrimination page 3 Workshop will explain DVLA services The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the BVRLA will host a workshop on planned changes to DVLA services page 4 LCV whole vehicle type approval will cost Whole vehicle type approval for light commercial vehicles could result in longer and more costly build times for modifications page 5 Golf Day: full report The annual BVRLA Golf Day took place on 6 September – who took home the trophies? page 6 Used cars: what are the market trends? BCA’s Used Car Market Report pulls together data on car ownership and new and used vehicle sales – read our summary of the key trends for coming years. page 7
— Promoting responsible road transport since 1967 —