Effective today (30 March 2020) all cars, vans and motorcycles in the UK will be granted a 6-month MOT exemption. Drivers will still be required to keep their vehicles “roadworthy and safe to drive”. If motorist don’t keep their vehicles up to scratch, fines of up to £2,500, driving licence points and driving bans remain in place as penalties for those convicted.
Following the news that cars, motorcycles and vans will begin being exempted from MOTs from 30 March 2020 (on a six-month rolling basis) for the next 12 months, the NTDA has affirmed the importance of the MOT. However, NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay also sought to bring some detail and nuance to the discussion.
Following the news that everyone in the UK should stay at home and therefore the country has entered a de facto lockdown, the government has published exceptions to that rule of key businesses include garages. In light of this and the closure of schools the week before, the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) has reaffirmed the association’s support of tyre centres.
Earlier we examined the evidence that truck tyre technicians should be considered key workers in “Are truck tyre technicians key workers?” In answer to the question, NTDA chief executive Stefan Hay suggested “those technicians who hold a REACT, LCTT or LRTT licence may wish to present the cards as evidence of their profession. Naturally, schools can confirm the validity of the licence by contacting the NTDA’s Head Office.”
Today (Friday 20 March 2020) is the last day at school for most children after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that all schools in England will close in a statement given on Wednesday 18 March 2020. However, schools won’t close entirely. Children of so-called key-workers will continue to go to school – something has led many parents to grapple with the question of what exactly a key worker is.
The founder of the Independent Tyre Fitters Alliance has exposed four councils in the North West of England for issuing licenses for taxis fitted with illegal unmarked and unsafe part worn tyres. John Stone, owner of National Tyre Distributors Association member Stone Tyres showed how vehicles with aged part worn tyres could pass the taxi compliance and licensing procedure at each council, raising questions about passenger safety in the North West and UK.
Bridgestone tyre retail network First Stop has announced that, as of 2020, First Stop UK has joined the NTDA in its own right. It is the first time First Stop UK has joined the NTDA. As a result of its membership, First Stop is including NTDA membership as part of its new value proposition.
Ask anyone involved in tyre industry training and they will say two things. Firstly, there is a growing need to develop a sustainable career path in the technical end of the tyre business. And secondly, that structured training needs to move with the times. The good news is that, after months and years of hard work by key industry figures, there is now an appropriate answer to both questions. So, with this in mind, in mid-November Tyres & Accessories visited the first cohort of trailblazer Licence Commercial Tyre Technician (LCCT) training, which incorporates an accredited apprenticeship standard and the NTDA’s REACT licence.
When Kirkby Tyres received the prestigious Truck & Agricultural Tyre Supplier of the Year Award (2019) on 3 October, it marked the second consecutive year that the Liverpool-based wholesaler had won the award.
Yokohama has won its first ever NTDA Tyre Manufacturer of the Year award at the Tyre Industry Awards ceremony in Birmingham. The award is presented to the company that, in the judges’ opinion, demonstrates that it is the best all-round ambassador for competitive manufacturing, service provision and a role model for its peers in the industry.
Flintshire-based Buckley Tyre Service has been named the best tyre dealer in the UK after picking up the hotly contested Tyre Retailer of the Year Award at last night’s National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) Awards.
After a day conference focusing on investing in the tyre industry’s personnel, technology and the trends associated with the next generation, last night saw 600 members of the tyre industry gather at the ICC in Birmingham for the 90th annual NTDA dinner and Tyre Industry Awards.
National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA) members have unanimously said “No!” to the sale of part worn tyres in a new independent survey. The NTDA has been instrumental in helping Trading Standards prosecute traders who illegally sold defective part-worn tyres, and its members have now rejected their sale, en masse.
