More thoughts on VIC

Over the last few days a number of comments have been made about the decision by the Department for Transport to scrap the VIC check and initiate a working group to look at alternatives to this.

The detail from the DfT contained a number of comments that gave hints about their desired outcomes for this working group.

• considering a statutory basis for the insurance industry’s code of practice about written-off vehicles;
• The roadworthiness and crashworthiness of rebuilt written-off vehicles should be subject to checking.  The Department is committed to investigating this further with industry.  

These can be interpreted as ‘we WILL introduce statutory regulation of written off vehicles’ and ‘repaired vehicles WILL be subject to enhanced checks before being allowed back into use’.

UK Motor Insurers already have the voluntary code of practice in place, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) who ‘own’ the Code of Practice should now step in to enforce the code, get their member companies performing to the highest standards possible and show the working group and the DfT that they can be trusted to enforce standards fully and correctly before any legislation comes in.

The Motor Vehicle Dismantlers Association (MVDA) and the British Vehicle Salvage Federation (BVSF) both need to show that their members are of the highest quality; they dismantle category A and B vehicles to the highest environmental standard, make certain that these vehicles are destroyed and issue Certificates of Destruction. This can be done by setting the appropriate standards for these members, with transparent auditing and compliance it can be shown that these companies are the most trusted salvage and recoiling operations in the UK and should deal with the majority of all written off vehicles.

Seems simple really........

So VIC is no more, what next?

The UK Government announced today that the Vehicle Identity Check scheme (VIC) is to be closed; having spent millions, checked hundreds of thousands of vehicles and identified less than 50 suspect vehicles, it certainly cannot be called a success.
The scheme will run until October 2015, in the meantime a working group will be formed to investigate the next steps.
I understand that making the current voluntary code of practice mandatory is an option; action that must be welcomed by the industry.

Personally I hope that the working group is able to bring strong enforcement action on this issue, including an updating of the current code, stopping category A and B vehicles leaving the country, Certificate of Destructions being mandatory for these vehicles,  a suitable roadworthiness check for all category C and D salvage returning to use, and stiff fines for companies that flout the regulations.

It certainly looks like progress is being made, we won’t mourn the loss of VIC, lets embrace sensible regulations going forward that protect OUR industry, drivers and customers.

Beat the Blues!

Spent most of yesterday calling auto recyclers to promote my Safe Handling of Electric and Hybrid training course.
As usual, many of them were not interested and didn’t book a place - now I am used to that and accept these rejections as a normal part of business life, but I ended the day really depressed because of the attitude of so many.

What really depressed me was the amount of wingeing and whining about the auto recycling industry, how it is no good, and they wanted to just shut the doors and get out. 
I admit that there are some issues that need addressing, but I see a vibrant business that is moving forward, raising standards and becoming more professional.

This can be seen next month at the CARS Show, held at a working automotive recycling facility this show brings the best in the industry together for 2 days of seminars, demonstrations, teaching, learning and networking. June 5th and 6th are the dates, Motorhog Doncaster is the location tickets for the 2 days cover food and drinks at the show and delegates are coming from all over the world.

The show web site (www.cars-expo.com) has full details of the show, including seminar timetable, booking tickets and hotels. Join the cream of the auto recycling industry at this prestigious event, be enthused about the future, to be the best that you can and secure your future.

Back to Basics?

Do you look back to the ‘good old days’ and wish that life now was as easy as it used to be? You cannot deny that the advance of technology has made a difference, vehicles are much cleaner and less polluting than they used to be, transfer of data and news is easy and quick, we could not work without computers and phones, the list goes on….

Was it better 20 years ago? When the first Code of Practice for Motor Salvage was introduced it was designed to prevent unsafe vehicles coming back into use, it targeted those who stole vehicles to change the identity to a written off vehicle, and it raised professional standards in vehicle salvage and car breaking operations. It did exactly what was required at the time and has proved to be a valuable document since.

The Code of Practice is still operating today, but it is being undermined by a number of factors.

• It is voluntary - companies can choose not to use the code and stand behind the fact that it is voluntary so not enforceable on the industry.
• It is being ignored by self-insured fleets - so damaged vehicles can be sold with no history of the damage sustained to the vehicle, potentially dangerous to subsequent vehicle owners.
• Companies interpret the code in their own way - there have been lots of reports of mis-categorisation over the recent months and speculation about the reasons for these categorisation decisions normally focus on the increase in salvage revenue for motor insurers.

Is it time to go back to basics? A slightly amended code that reflects current vehicle design and manufacturing processes, supports green recycled parts, and complements government policy could be adequately enforced by the ABI and provide consistent vehicle categorisation; this simple action would restore full credibility to the code, continue to advance the auto recycling and salvage industry, raise professional standards and continue to protect consumers from lack of categorisation or poor categorisation decisions.

Safe Handling of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

Some might look on them as exotic, new, or just the latest must have vehicle, but these vehicles are now being found as End of Life Vehicles in auto recycling and motor salvage yards around the world, and unless handled properly they can kill or seriously injure employees.

High Voltages are required for the electric motor, the battery voltage is converted from Direct Current to Alternating Current and up to 750volts can be required for the motor. Heat is generated through this process and needs controlling, batteries do not function best in very cold or very hot temperatures so they also have cooling and heating capabilities, and batteries also contain electrolyte that requires careful management if it s split from a damaged battery.

Salvage Wire’s Safe Handling of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Training is a course designed for automotive recycling and motor salvage operations, that helps dismantlers to assess, make safe and dismantle electric and hybrid vehicles, and is an essential part of any responsible vehicle recyclers training programme. 

Courses are available across the country over the coming months, for more details contact Salvage Wire at admin@salvagewire.com for a training programme and full details of this course and all others available.

Have you registered for CARS 2014 yet?

CARS 2014 is picking up the pace, with even more visitors and exhibitors signing up for what promises to be the biggest event of the year in the automotive recycling and vehicle salvage calendar!

In light of ground-breaking new technologies predicted to emerge in the next few years, and Volvo’s recent ambitious claim that ‘by 2020, no one will be killed in a new Volvo’, the CARS conference programme will address future vehicles and the impact on auto recyclers. Chaired by Salvage Wire’s Andy Latham, it will explore the impact of new vehicle design and the effect on car repair and recycling businesses.

Mr Latham said: “the advance in vehicle technology is now so quick, and potentially game changing, that everyone in the industry needs to be aware of the changes so they can plan for the impact to their business. This session will highlight changes now coming into production as well as advances due in the coming few years that will all impact vehicle repair, re-use of parts and recycling.”

For more information about the full programme and other show features, please click here.

Selling Salvage Vehicles and Parts for Free

Do you have vehicles to sell? Do you want to sell these vehicles and pay no sales charges? GBC Professional can assist you.
GBC Professional have customers in Europe that are searching for vehicles and vehicle parts to purchase; vehicles and parts that you may have in your yard.
Register for free on the GBC Professional web site, (http://gbcars.eu/en-u) upload the vehicle details and images and sell - it is that simple and there are no charges for sellers.
The first 10 suppliers who sell 10 vehicles through GBC Professional web site before 31 May 2014 will receive a free ticket to the CARS Show being held at Motorhog Doncaster June 5th-6th (www.cars-expo.com) 


You can also register to purchase vehicles on GBC Professional, the unique salvage vehicle service where there are no hidden charges, all details can be found on the GBC Professional web site -http://gbcars.eu/en-u

There is also a you tube video available to watch