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Northern Ireland’s Vehicle Policy Unit at the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) is banning tyres aged 10 years and older on the front axles of HGV’s, buses and coaches, and to the tyres on all axles of minibuses when fitted in single configuration. The changes being implemented in Northern Ireland will align with the changes introduced in Great Britain (GB) on 1 February 2021.
Dasos Michaelides, who has over 40 years of experience working within Northern Ireland’s automotive industry, has been appointed by Autotech Training as Head of Business Development for Ireland.
On 15 January 2018, The English Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Welsh Government published a consultation on “proposals to tackle crime and poor performance in the waste sector and introduce a new fixed penalty for the waste duty of care”. That 2018 consultation focussed on the standard of operator competence at permitted waste sites and introduced a fixed penalty notice for breaches of the household waste duty of care. Fast-forward to 13 February 2023 and Defra has made changes to “the ten waste exemptions of most concern”, which includes “mechanically treating end-of-life tyres” (ELT) known as T8 exemptions.
Sue Robinson, chief executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) which represents car and commercial retailers in the UK, has welcomed the recent extension to the current MOT consultation. She said: “NFDA is pleased that its efforts to extend the consultation period, through discussions with DVSA and writing directly to DfT officials have been successful.
A petition has been launched by automotive trade bodies to stop the Government’s plans to extend the period before a vehicle has its first MOT, in order to reduce preventable casualties and deaths caused by vehicle defects. The petition states: “The Government has proposed extending the period before a vehicle has to have its first MOT from 3 years to 4. We believe this will be dangerous, expensive, damaging and unnecessary.”
The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a public consultation on the future of MOTs in Great Britain, which closes at 11:59pm on 28 February 2023. According to the DfT, “Views are being sought to update MOT testing for cars, motorbikes and vans to ensure roadworthiness checks continue to balance costs on motorists while ensuring road safety, keeping up with advances in vehicle technology, and tackling vehicle emissions.” But the short story is that they are once again proposing to “change the date at which the first MOT for new light vehicles is required from 3 to 4 years” under the guise of saving “motorists across Great Britain around £100 million a year in MOT fees” based on a £40 MOT.
There has been talk about closing the recruitment gap in the automotive aftermarket for years. More recently certain training bodies and associations such as the NTDA have taking significant steps to renew efforts to recruit and upskill the tyre and aftermarket workforce. Now, however, is clear evidence that these much-discussed issues are not just theoretical. Rather, the lack of skill people in the trade is affecting the ability to service already depleted demand, which is hitting profitability even amongst some of the largest, fastest-growing and most profitable tyre-selling businesses.
Autogem has completed its first report into TPMS expertise in the aftermarket and has created free ‘tune-up’ sessions in response to its findings. The 2021 and 2022 NTDA aftermarket supplier of the year is offering online tutorials devised following a data gathering exercise into technicians’ TPMS troubleshooting skills.
As 2022 draws to a close, Bridgestone representatives reflected on the highlights of a “memorable” 2022, including: strategic appointments, commercial vehicle tyre and fleet developments, and numerous award wins.
The freedom to service new vehicles was joined by another example of the sector’s current need to evolve quickly at the NTDA Tyre Industry Conference 2022. Dave Walker, business development director, Autotech discussed the topic of training technicians to carry out services on electric and hybrid vehicles. Noting the speed of the new car market’s move away from diesel (only around 5.5 per cent of new cars sold this year are diesel), and the growth of various flavours of electric car, Walker said that “only 15 per cent of UK technicians (around 32,900) are now qualified to work safely” on these vehicles. It is estimated that 90,000 technicians will be required by 2030 to work on EV/hybrid cars.
The National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) Tyre Industry Conference has developed a reputation for assembling top-flight speakers to address the key issues of the day. The 2022 event was no different. Topics included tyre distributors’ role in highway safety as positive influencers, part worns and market surveillance as well as tyre recovery.
Hankook’s Tyre Manufacturer of the Year winning entry at the NTDA Tyre Industry Awards “demonstrated, in great detail, its growing marketplace leadership in product, performance, innovation, productivity and sustainability,” according to NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay. The award was presented to Hankook Tyre UK’s sales director Paul Emery and marketing & communications manager Zoë Baldwin. Emery said: “We are a relatively small team at Hankook and are extremely proud that the UK tyre industry has recognised the strength of the Hankook business. This is truly a team effort and a team award.”
Falkirk tyre retailer Skidz was named Tyre Retailer of the Year at the Tyre Industry Awards. The family-owned business, a member of the Michelin Quality Centre network, won the Small Tyre Retailer category for the best single location site, before going on to be crowned the NTDA’s overall winner ahead of the Medium Retailer (up to 25 centres) and Large Retailer (national chain) champions.
Bridgestone’s ultra-high performance tyre, the Potenza Sport, has received more acclaim for the manufacturer, as its adrenalin fuelled marketing campaign was made Industry Marketing Campaign of the Year at the NTDA’s Tyre Industry Awards. Bridgestone targeted its 1 April to 30 June campaign at consumers making more informed decisions than the average tyre buyer, addressing their passion for driving.
The Department for Transport (DfT) banned truck tyres over 10 years old with effect from 1 February 2021. Now, in Northern Ireland, the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) are “seeking views on proposals with a view to introducing similar legislation in the North of Ireland”. Specifically, DfI are inviting relevant stakeholders and the public to respond to this consultation. The scope of the consultation covers “heavy goods vehicles, buses, coaches and minibuses”. And the consultation is aimed at owners and operators of those vehicles as well as those involved in the “manufacture, provision and/or maintenance of tyres for these vehicle types”.
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