Aebi Schmidt UK has expanded the Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) test facilities at its Peterborough head office to cover M1 specialist vehicles.
The move comes after the company got the green light from the DVSA for the expansion, which delivers a range of benefits to blue light fleets and conversion firms.
The first customer to benefit from the new classification is locally based convertor, Blue Light Services. It’s now able to use Aebi Schmidt’s IVA lane to gain type approval without having to take its specialist ambulances further afield – cutting costs but also cutting emissions.
Blue Light Services’ production manager Paul Duke explained: “Prior to this new initiative from Aebi Schmidt, we had to take our vehicles to different parts of the country, including Leighton Buzzard and London, to gain type approval, at extra cost to us and a greater impact on the environment from the additional miles driven
“Now we have IVA test facilities on our doorstep covering the class of vehicles that we work with, which are typically ambulance conversions and special needs minibuses.”
It’s the first time Aebi Schmidt has been able to cover M1 specialist vehicles, adding to its existing testing services for categories including N1 vehicles, primarily light good vehicles up to 3,500kgs, and N2 and N3 vehicles, which are typically heavy goods vehicles over 3,500 kgs.
Katherine Daunt, after sales services manager at Aebi Schmidt, commented: “Following consultation with the DVSA, we had to carry out a number of adaptations to the IVA lane for it to be suitable, and then the agency carried out an audit to ensure we met their approved standards.
“Having gained approval as a result, we are now able to offer testing services for a wider class of specialist vehicles, which customers like blue light services will be able to take advantage of going forward,” she said.
The IVA tests, typically between five and seven a day, are carried out by a qualified DVSA inspector, providing reassurance to customers that they are completed to the most stringent standards. The IVA facility is currently available for only one day per week, but there is capacity for further expansion depending on demand. A fixed-price offering, structured around volume, is available in addition to the DVSA fee.
