MPRS will provide a benchmark of quality to transform and elevate workshop standards and the universal rating scheme has five tiers – Qualified, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum – that can be applied to all types of workshops, from single-person outfits to international dealers, gauging workshops on their competence and facilities.
The principal objective is to raise industry standards for commercial vehicle maintenance, reduce MOT failures or prohibitions, and improve safety, reliability and compliance.
Steered and managed by IRTE, the professional sector of the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE), the industry-led scheme is the result of collaboration across the commercial vehicle sector and government, jointly developed by IRTE, Logistics UK, RHA, CPT, SMMT, BVRLA, and NFDA, and is backed by the Office of the Traffic Commissioner, DVSA and DfT.
Speaking at the launch, Emma Thompson, SOE executive director, says: “MPRS puts the spotlight on improving current standards across workshops and maintenance facilities across the nation, highlighting non-compliant and unsafe practices that compromise safety and standards within the commercial industry.”
During a panel discussion at the CV Show, Nick Elliott, chairman of the IRTE, the professional sector of the SOE, explains: “It is a game changer to my mind – an industry-led scheme endorsed by us all with collective industry and regulator ownership.
“It provides transparency for operators when choosing inspection service and repair resources. It also seeks to reduce the element of chance giving measurable choice for operators."
A key figure in the development of MPRS was Phil Lloyd, head of engineering policy at Logistics UK. “Workshops are currently entirely unregulated, but MPRS can be a beacon of confidence for operators working with external workshops and maintenance facilities,” he says.
“It provides a trusted way for maintenance providers to demonstrate their competencies to reassure operators, who will know that their vehicles are being maintained by workshops and facilities that are serious about quality, compliance and safety.”
At the CV Show, Daimler Truck UK and DAF Trucks were announced as the first to be accredited with MPRS. Both took part in the 18-month MPRS pilot where their workshops were used as a benchmark for its scoring criteria of competency levels and facilities.
Visit www.mprs.org.uk/ for more.
