We have two new service vans being fitted out which will be on the road in the coming weeks. This will see an increase in the number of vehicles of vans we operate every day, and will create a vacancy for an someone looking to change company or move into this role.

Below is the latest from the DVSA on 23rd March 2020.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic DVSA has taken the decision to suspend heavy vehicle testing all Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV), trailers and Public Service Vehicles (PSV) for up to 3 months.

DVSA has taken the difficult decision to suspend heavy vehicle testing for 3 months, with immediate effect, invoking Clause 13, Force Majeure, of the contract between DVSA and the Authorised Testing Facilities where these tests are carried out.

From 21 March all HGVs, trailers and PSVs with an annual test to expire in a particular month will be issued with a 3-month certificate of exemption (CTE) until further notice.

We want to ensure that all heavy vehicles and trailers remain legal whilst the country deals with the COVID-19 outbreak. So DVSA will be implementing the provisions within the Plating and Testing Regulations and Motor Vehicle Test Regulations which provide for HGVs, trailers and PSVs to be exempted from the annual roadworthiness test.

Paper certificates will not be re-issued for HGVs, trailers and PSVs but we will amend the digital record so that vehicles can continue to operate.

We’ll be issuing further guidance in due course regarding the exemption process.

We know that the annual test is an important part of your business but, as we are sure you will understand, these are exceptional circumstances. DVSA will refund all reservation fees for events scheduled from 21 March 2020.

Until notified you don’t need to ask us for additional testing capacity while exemptions are being issued.

Please visit GOV.UK for the latest information.

A key issue with this is the need for owners/operators to continue with maintenance and MOT pre-work as planned. Our understanding is that for DVSA to get ministers to approve this suspension of testing they needed to have a robust plan to monitor vehicle compliance and safety on the road. This will be managed by the Enforcement Team’s who may be supplemented by the ATF testers who are not testing.

To help customers Boleyn are opening its ATF lanes to support voluntary “roadworthiness inspections” that will be undertaken on the approved lanes and include a brake, smoke and beam tests and inspections (where required) to demonstrate the vehicle/trailer met the required standard on the day. If this is of interest please call 0208-594-2477 for more information.

We will post further as more information comes through.

 

As part of Boleyn’s continued development we are pleased to confirm we now have an operating base in Tilbury and have just taken on a new site at Junction 29 of the M25 that will be fully functional for 1st March 2020. This new location at J29 provides us excellent access to the M25 and A127 and surrounding areas so we can better support our customers.

We have also added some new trucks to the fleet and there will be more on that in the next week.

We are pleased to announce that as part of our continued and steady growth that we are now operating light and heavy recovery from North Weald which gives us a great location to support Stansted and also to get to areas like Stevenage, Luton, Colchester & Ipswich etc in less time than we do now.

We also operate a small service van from there doing jump starts and suzies etc.

All these services are centrally controlled from our Head Office operation in Barking and are fully supported and backed up from there. So if we were not in the right location for you before, we may be now, and if not, don’t forget we have c.250 recovery partners nationwide who help us support you.

2019 is Boleyn’s 60th year, and we have marked it with some special livery on 2 vehicles added to the fleet this year.

Boleyn Recovery has one of, if not, the longest uninterrupted trading history of any London based Breakdown Recovery and Fleet Maintenance Company. Founded in 1959 by Bill Smith after discovering his aptitude for vehicle maintenance and recovery during his National Service with the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers. Starting at his home, and earning 7 shillings and 6d on his first job, his work ethic and determination drove him forward, and in 1964 he acquired Boleyn Service Station. At this time Boleyn provided support to the Metropolitan Police Traffic for Road Traffic Accident call outs, with one recovery truck and 2 workshop technicians. The business continued to grow and moved to larger premises at 89 River Road and then in 1993 Bill took the gamble of his life and bought 2 ½ acres of land at 77 River Road, Barking, which has remained the company’s main location to this day. In the 70’s Boleyn established itself as trusted supplier to all London’s blue light services, and to this day is proud to say it still supports the Police, Fire and Ambulance Services, whether direct or through their fleet ownership/management suppliers. As the face of transport changed over the years, Boleyn also changed to ensured it continued to deliver a high quality service based on Bill’s 3 principles of – Get it done NOW – WHY are we doing it? Do we have the right equipment and people? – DO IT RIGHT FIRST TIME – to keep the customer happy and downtime to a minimum They say that behind every great man is a great woman, and behind the scenes Bill’s wife Pat took the phone calls at all hour when he was out, did the invoicing, was his secretary to all customers, and still raised their four children. As the company grew and their children got older Bill and Pat’s daughter Michelle joined the business in the 80’s to help her father. Boleyn has always worked to support the owner driver to the big multi-nationals, and tailors the service to suit the needs of the individual customer, which means the team have to be really sharp in remembering the processes for some 700 accounts the Boleyn supports. Boleyn’s fleet continued to grow and it secured contracts to recover London’s bendy buses amongst other things. Around 10 years ago Stephen (Bill’s son) joined the family business, and as Bill reluctantly started to step back (still not fully retired), Michelle and Steve continued to take the business forward. Alongside recovery, Boleyn operates car and commercial workshops, including a Tacho centre, 2 x ATF lanes, LOLER Testing, Car & Van MOT’s and so on using some of the most up to date technology and equipment available. In recent years as the company has grown further the family has brought in some proven industry professionals to assist in the management and operation of the business. During this time Michelle has remained focused on the Boleyn, and Stephen has taking active roles for the benefit of the industry attending All Party Parliamentary Groups, taking the reigns as the Chairman of AVRO and also the Chairman of the ATFOA founded by Boleyn. More recently, the implementation of the ULEZ in London has forced Boleyn to accelerate their fleet replacement plan, meaning that now, not only does the fleet range from a 7.2t Iveco Daily to a 120t 5 axle low loader with three Boniface 8×4 Recoverer Tridents being the flagship vehicles, but that it is also one of the most modern and capable fleets around. Today Boleyn employs around 60 staff operating from our bases in Barking and North Weald, supported by many of you in the industry when we need support away from home patch for our customers, or supporting you if you need help on our home ground. So to all of you that we work with and for, thanks for the support, and hopefully we will be working with you when we celebrate 75 years and then 100. Jim Parker – Director