European legislation EC Directive 2007/46 requires that all goods vehicles to be registered up to 3.5 tonne must from April 2013 be whole vehicle type approved (WVTA). In the case of incomplete chassis, there will be a requirement that any party working on that vehicle prior to its registration must be able to issue a certificate confirming that the build of the vehicle conforms to a pre-obtained approval or else the vehicle will require an individual vehicle approval from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA).

As a manufacturer of commercial vehicle bodies, JC Payne (UK) Limited has worked with the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) to obtain approvals enabling the company to issue certificates of conformity with each body the company builds on certain 3.5 tonne chassis. JC Payne has been issued with approvals to provide certificates of conformity for its bodies built on chassis including Mercedes Sprinter, Volkswagen Crafter, two different types of Iveco Daily and four different types of Ford Transit.

Achieving whole vehicle type approval will enable the company to provide a full suite of bodies on these chassis with no adverse implication to delivery time for customers. JC Payne can manufacture box bodies, Lutons, curtainsiders, dropsiders, flatbeds and tippers in accordance with its approvals, will be able to vary dimensions to suit a customer’s requirements within a certain range and will also be able to fit certain makes of towbar to the chassis.

For more information on type approval, please visit: www.dft.gov.uk/vca

JC Payne is a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicle bodies and parts based in Aldridge in the West Midlands. For more information on this story, please call 01922 453 333.