News

The two associations are teaming up to provide RHA members with the FTA's well established vehicle inspection service. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) is to offer a compliance service to its members, which will be delivered by the Vehicle Inspection Service of the Freight Transport Association (FTA). The first dual-branded services on offer are LGV roadworthiness and maintenance checks, van inspections, forklift truck examinations and audits, lifting equipment inspections and tanker inspections.  Additional services will follow later in the year.

RHA chief executive Roger King says there was a need for the association to offer a vehicle inspection service. "We've had attempts to launch a programme ourselves over the years but with spasmodic success. "We decided to liaise with the FTA because it has a strong product. It made no sense for us to reinvent the wheel and create our own inspection service when the FTA has a perfectly good one we can bolt onto."

Chris Thornton, managing director of business services at the FTA, says: "We've been offering the vehicle inspection service for 40 years and we carry out over 100,000 inspections a year. "The RHA wanted to provide a similar function and looked out for the most credible provider to offer the services to its members." He adds that it makes sense for the two organisations to work together whenever possible.

The FTA and the RHA are also joining forces to deliver CPC training. The alliance  will develop and provide training materials covering the syllabus defined by the EU Training Directive. It will also offer a 'train the trainers' service and direct training from both RHA and FTA instructors. The course will be available for LGV operators by September 2009.