Commercial Vehicle Show called off

MAJOR casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic is the 2020 Commercial Vehicle Show 2020 scheduled for next month in Birmingham, which has been cancelled.

The option of postponing was given careful consideration given the importance of the Show to the road transport sector; however, it was felt there were too many unknown variables to make this option possible.

The show organisers said they would like to thank all our exhibitors, registered visitors, Show team and other stakeholders for their continued support during this most challenging and unprecedented of times.

Steve Nash, Chief Executive of the Institute of the Motor Industry has confirmed that the professional body is very much ‘open for business’ to support the motor retail sector during the Coronavirus pandemic.

He said: “Whilst we all must heed the government guidance in terms of social distancing, the mobility of individuals and the businesses that serve our communities will be vital during the next few months.

“That means that vehicles, whether personal or business, must be maintained to safe standards and that the focus has to remain on training the next generation of automotive professionals.

“The news on Wednesday evening that schools will close from this Friday and Further Education colleges are expected to follow suit is, of course, a concern in terms of the education of the next generation.

“The IMI has a team of experts available to provide remote assistance for FE colleges who will want to continue to support their students pursuing motor sector related qualifications.

“It’s also vital that MOT testing remains in place to ensure that the vehicles used by individuals and businesses are roadworthy.

“The fact that our MOT Tester and Annual Assessment and CPD can be completed online will help to ensure that the DVSA standards for MOT testing are maintained.

“We also have remote assessment tools for a number of vehicle servicing and repair qualifications and we are reviewing the option to extend some accreditation periods to ensure that motor industry professionals who can’t get to physical centres in the next few months do not lose their accreditations.”