Forty delegates attended the BVRLA’s Vehicle and Fleet Management (VFM) Forum yesterday (6 November) held at Autoglass in Egham. A thread through all sessions was that of new technology coming to the LCV market and what it will mean for SMR costs.
The hosts Autoglass opened proceedings with a look at how electrification and ADAS developments will impact how vehicles are kept on the road. The team shared how the complexity of repair jobs grows with technological advances, detailing how methods and equipment are evolving to keep pace.
Peter Moulding from Bridgestone then gave delegates a detailed overview of how tyre technology is progressing to deliver more efficient, more sustainable, and more advanced products. Delegates were taken through the latest developments and given a glimpse of what the future of tyre technology looks like.
A dual session from Vincent St Claire of Fleet Assist and David Legg of i247 Group then put the spotlight on LCV servicing trends and prospects for 2024. Vincent looked at how van SMR costs change with vehicle age before David drilled down into LCV tyres and how replacement policies play out across a vehicle’s lifecycle.
The final VFM session of 2023 saw Marc Lees from epyx Ltd looking to the future. Using the latest data for vehicle off-road times and repair costs, Marc shared projections for 2024 and discussed what the trends suggest should be expected.
The Vehicle and Fleet Management Forum programme will expand further in 2024, with members able to subscribe to the full programme now. Use the Forum Enquiry Form if interested in a subscription, securing two tickets for each of the three Vehicle and Fleet Management Forums in 2024. The next VFM Forum will be held in February at DAF, Aylesbury, with further events in June and November.
