The new CoF-B regime introduced last year allowed sites, including suitable workshops – such as Southpac Truck’s workshop in Wiri, which was the first to be approved by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) to issue CoF-Bs –subject to relaxed site criteria.
The most significant criteria is that there must be no conflict of interest between the vehicle inspector and the owner of the vehicle. Jim McDonald, NZTA Transition Lead VLR Project clarified the conflict of interest boundary with Dieseltalk.
He says the term the NZTA have adopted is, “if an organisation has a financial interest in the ‘operation’ of the vehicle, the organisation will not be able to inspect the vehicle.” However organisations such as fleet operators who do have a financial interest in the operation of their vehicles can have their vehicles inspected in their own workshop by an approved inspecting organisation coming to them.
McDonald makes it clear that workshops can have their own technicians approved as inspectors, and they can carry out CoF inspections on customers’ heavy vehicles, even if they service and repair the vehicles. They can also issue CoFs to vehicles they are selling, whether they own them or are selling them on behalf.
VTNZ are partnering up with heavy vehicle repairers to provide CoF-B inspections on their sites too. Their high profile and long history with its roots in the Ministry of Transport ensure they have had many audits and questions asked of them over the years, and strengthens the argument that they have proven credibility and transparency across their business.
“Many repairers like the flexibility of having VTNZ vehicle inspectors provide inspection services on vehicles at their workshops, at times that suit them, says the company.
With VTNZ providing inspectors, it means that repairers do not have to recruit or train technicians to become inspectors, provide ongoing training, or arrange cover when staff are on leave. They save costs on the site application process and the costs of setting up to become an inspecting organisation. They also save on costs of travelling to and from testing stations.
“Many fleet operators still prefer to have an independent inspection on their vehicles to ensure that the process is transparent, is easily audited from a health and safety perspective, and it means that they will not be paying for repairs that are not necessary to get a CoF.”
AA general manager – motoring services, Stella Stocks says the AA is a small player in the heavy vehicle CoF market, adding, “At this stage we are keeping a watching brief to see how the new CoF regime unfolds.”
VINZ CEO Gordon Shaw says, “The VLR [Vehicle Licensing Reform] changes have increased competition in the CoF-B space and have also given former TSDAs the ability to enter the truck repair and servicing space.”
VINZ have been approached by a number of truck repair and servicing businesses to work in partnership to provide heavy vehicle inspections at various sites around the country.
Shaw adds, “We are being approached due to our long standing history in the sector together with our reputation in the market and our training and technical expertise. A number of new players, once they have assessed the market have found that the new vehicle inspector training requirements, together with the quality management requirements for NZTA, add a layer of administration and relationship management that they had not considered.
This is leading to opportunities to have VINZ inspectors working in off-site approved inspection facilities.”
“For us the safety of the national road transport fleets remains a top priority.”
Shaw took over the CEO role late last year and when asked what his plans for driving the organisation forward are, he says VINZ’s parent company JEVIC is looking at the VINZ retail model and how this could work in other markets.
“VINZ’s fundamentals will stay the same,” says Shaw – “to have the right business strategy, work with its customers and partners, attract and retain employees, and be innovative.”
While Southpac supply and manage the Wiri inspection lane and major equipment such as brake rollers, they have chosen to have inspections carried out by an independent contractor, Independent Training Audit Services NZ Ltd (ITAS).
ITAS is owned by partners Brent Greenlees and Richard Lee, two heavy vehicle inspectors with long histories in the industry. Between them they have worked for three of the four Transport Service Delivery Agents (TSDAs) approved under the previous regime – On Road, VINZ and VTNZ, as well as the NZTA – in roles including inspection, training and auditing. On Road was bought out by VTNZ and the fourth TSDA, the AA carries out heavy vehicle CoFs at only two sites in New Zealand. The lack of competition between the three TSDAs was frustrating some transport operators.
Greenlees says ITAS and the other five or six independent inspection services have been welcomed into the industry. ITAS is currently negotiating with several potential CoF-B site owners in both the North and South Islands, and Greenlees expects to be confirming more sites shortly. He is instrumental in forming an association for the new group, which he says will aim to create a professional approach and single voice for the individuals.
The joint venture operation at Southpac started on December 1, 2014, the first day of the new regime and Greenlees says they had to pull out all stops to meet the launch date.
The service has now been operating over two months and a permanent inspector, Johan De Jonge is based on site.
Greenlees says having an inspector on site builds good relations between workshop staff and the inspection service, and helps build a wider understanding of the CoF process and requirements. He says that technicians can take vehicles over the brake rollers before an inspection is carried out and get the inspector’s advice if they are unsure of legal limitations for components, but as soon as an inspection starts, the inspection lane is solely under ITAS’ control.
