News from the IRTE: Top technicians across the UK were celebrated at the annual The Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE) Awards at the NEC, which saw the top-scoring irtec licensed technicians and IRTE’s top maintenance provider awarded.
Sponsored by Halfords Trade, the irtec section of the awards recognised the technicians who scored top marks in the rigorous practical and theoretical assessments for their irtec licences. David Moore from HTF Commercial Repairs, George Gray from National Express Dundee, and Robert Steel from London Borough of Redbridge received the three awards on the night.
David Moore says, “It was a real surprise and honour to receive this irtec award from the IRTE. I am personally committed to the irtec assessments, which I believe are raising the standards across independent commercial vehicle workshops. This in turn gives our customers a degree of comfort when bringing their vehicles to our workshop. Here at HTF we are committed to the ongoing development of all our staff using the training facilities that are available to us through our TOPTRUCK membership. This ongoing programme includes extensive use of the irtec assessment which allows us to identify, train and then assess our staff in all aspects of vehicle maintenance.”
Dave Parr from TIP Trailer Services also received recognition for his assistance in the development of irtec. He was a fundamental force in driving forward the heavy vehicle trailer licence route within irtec, the first independent accreditation of its kind for the trailer industry.
Parr adds, “I would like to thank the Society of Operations Engineers for this award and feel very honoured to have received it, especially as it relates to the irtec trailer licence. I believe it is vital for all UK trailer technicians that they have a route to attaining a nationally recognised qualification that demonstrates their competency whilst also providing confidence to employers such as TIP Trailer Services that trailer fleets are being inspected and maintained to an industry standard.”
In addition to the technician awards, IRTE presented the first Maintenance Provider of the Year award to Müller-Wiseman Dairies. The award was created to mark the successful uptake of the IRTE Workshop Accreditation scheme since its launch in late 2012. As one of the champions of the scheme, Müller has gained the accreditation across 13 workshops in the UK.
John Muir, Transport Manager for Müller-Wiseman, says, “We extend our thanks to the IRTE for this recognition and award. We have long been a supporter of irtec and the IRTE Workshop Accreditation scheme. It is a valuable way to have your standards measured by an industry professional body and have these standards recognised externally. Müller–Wiseman Dairies are totally committed to the highest standards.”
“This award reflects this and the values of Müller-Wiseman Dairies, working together to be better and making the best products with the best people. Without the hard work and commitment of the transport maintenance team this award would not have been possible. All credit goes to them for ensuring the safe and legal operation of our transport fleet seven days a week 24 hours a day ensuring our logistics operation is supported to fully meet the expectations of our external customers.”
