I took a couple of hours out of work this morning to see my MP about the proposed 4-2-2 testing. Whilst waiting I flicked through the local paper. Several MoT stations in the constituency had large adverts,including a multi-lane site.
Why is it then, that apart from Jim Punter and me, no one else had taken the trouble to contact this MP, either by letter or personal visit?
If Gordon gets his way on this one he won't have had to face much opposition.

Tom W

Graham

Your point is well made and I agree with you. However, I think that if I owned ( with the bank) one of the many new automated test lanes that have recently been built in this area I might be a little concerned that it was going to lay idle for a year and then operate at 50% of it's planned capacity. Likewise, many of us must carry out remedial work for the MoT test.

Regards

Tom W

ATL is the way forward, there is no doubt about that. My thought is that many of them have been built in rented industrial units using bank finance. If we adopt the new scheme, in the year following it's inception there will be no testing.
Presumably the larger stations will have rent, testers and possibly the finance company to pay. Many smaller guys like me own the freehold and the kit is paid for.I actually wouldn't mind a one year sabbatical.
If 4-2-2 goes ahead, ATLs & OPTLs which already require fewer testing staff will then be doing half the number of tests.
There are approximately 60,000 testers at present, so perhaps 30,000 will require different jobs. Maybe many are coming up for retirement, hence the lack of urgency to complain about it.
Heck, they could all buy vans, scanners and become mobile diagnostic experts.

Tom W

Many testers are like you and me, busy diagnosing stuff & sorting other day-to-day problems. I do about two tests a week (two too many aswell). Its guys like me that bring the average way down.

This 4 2 2 thing is just another ill thought out plan. I cant see any point in fighting it, as the government cant see what’s in front of their faces with all the other failings that Britain is going through.

This country is going down the toilet fast with still tighter regulations & higher costs are imposed on businesses & the public alike. Its all fine & dandy having the safest working environment in the world (which we don't have) but when building firms will no longer take on youngsters under 18 because they cant go up a ladder or work on scaffolding or be in a harmful environment (there isnt a safe place on a building site). Is it any wonder we have a skills shortage?

Still, at least the government doesn’t squander the money that they squeeze out of us all. Look at the excellent health, education, military, transport services & systems that they allow us to use at our pleasure

Sorry to drift off topic, but its getting beyond a joke. Life abroad is sounding more attractive daily. I wonder who is going to fund the spongers on the Dole with 10 kids & a £75,000 tax free income, when so many of the earning population have abandoned ship?

Cheers for letting me get that off my chest

Dave Hill

You're dead right, a great many testers do very few tests. Their day is probably taken up with servicing ,clutches etc. Main dealers with test facilities see few cars under 4yrs old anyway.
The testers & site owners that may have something to worry about, are the ones doing the lions share of the million plus MOTs that are carried out each year.
The guys that do only testing 5-6 days a week are going to find it quite a shock in year one of the scheme, when there will be no MOT testing at all. An even bigger shock could come the next year when everything should be up to full speed again.
The bigger multi-lane sites could conceivably be mothballed for a year. Perhaps ATLs could be used for servicing instead. Service work is diminishing because of longlife intervals.
I can't see Siemens keeping their call centres open & staffed either. Apparently VOSA is already understaffed.
It's ironic, but the survivors could just be the testers that already have plenty of other work to occupy them.
As usual, the Govt haven't thought things through, so business as usual there.
I promise this is my last word, Tom's patent cure for insomnia.

Regards,

Tom.

Trust you to bring up the Exploder .

I don’t know, we are made to feel guilty for everything we do these days. From using too much water (dishwashers) to running a thirsty motor.

The folks running the country dont seem to be in a hurry to ditch the Jags. What message does this give, its ok to leave a large carbon footprint if you are loaded!

I am not loaded & I dont go flying all over the planet leaving a huge CF (Carbon Footprint), so forgive me if I dont feel too guilty at running a 19 MPG motor. I do understand that something needs to be done, but surely a plan needs to be made that allows people to continue to travel in a convenient & cost effective manner.

I suppose the plan is to force folks to ditch the car altogether & turn to buses & trains. Not a pleasant thought hey!

Cheers

Dave Hill (Dummy stil firmly in mouth)