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Tel. 08611 UTASA - 08611 88272
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UTASA Bulletins
Ninth Edition March 2011 WE BID OUR UTASA MEMBERS A WARM WELCOME INTO 2011 MAY YOUR CUP OVERFLOW WITH LOVE-PEACE AND PROSPERITY. UTASA purposely left this newsletter for March to give everyone a chance to settle in. We are focused and ready for 2011 and wish to thank our members for the support. Your dedication and respect for UTASA is unprecedented. BUSINESS AS USUAL – OUR BUSINESS INSURANCE PARTNERS -SANTAM -HOLLARD AND ZURICH Our quarterly meeting with SANTAM was held on the 10th February, where amongst other issues payment delays and invoicing procedures were addressed. Please adhere to the correct invoice procedure making sure that the information is correct reflecting Santam claim and vat number on invoice. After scrutinising invoices, we have found a number of members invoices are lacking information – note that should this be the case, there will be delays in payment. CALL- INSURANCE CALL CENTRE’S DIRECT!! We wish to bring to members’ attention that you should call the following call centres direct should you be attending an accident scene: SANTAM 0860 505 911 HOLLARD 0861 000 911 ZURICH 0861 188 272 (UTASA Call Centre Number) These call centre’s will contact UTASA and verify your membership with UTASA. We are taking a strong stance going forward - should your member fees not be paid up – you will be taken off the database and refused the tow. FLEET MANAGEMENT PARTNERS We have grown in leaps and bounds in this sector. Our payment track record is rated A+ from our members who are paid within 7 working days upon receipt of invoice. We request all invoices be comprehensive in detail reflecting order number, pickup and delivery address to avoid delays in payment. UTASA is in the process of registering for VAT and once we have been allocated a vat number will forward same to you and request that members please reflect that number on all invoices made out to UTASA. We thank our members for the excellent rating we have received from our Fleet Management partners who commented on and complimented your neatness of drivers, trucks and excellent response times –Well done!! PROCUREMENT Going forward, we are in negotiations with other business entities, who have requested that photos are taken of the vehicle at accident scene’s, with a payment incentive for this. Please forward all your comments on this proposal to info@utasa.co.za. CALL CENTRE AND ADMIN GROWTH We are happy to announce the appointment of Steven, who will add value to the call centre with his knowledge of the Heavy Duty Breakdown sector, of which a National Committee was established last week. Welcome to Lynette, our internal auditor who will ensure we have good corporate governance in place. CONSUMER PROTECTION ACT The act comes into effect on the 1st April 2011 and will dramatically change the way business is conducted. When the relevant guidelines are finalised we will make this available to you. We request that our members familiarise themselves with the draft act and ensure that you are compliant with the act. There has been enough and timeous warning via the media regarding the consumer protection act and members are warned once again to be cautious in your conduct. As far back as February 2009 in the 3rd edition of UTASA Bulletin sub heading Storage & Related Fees you were cautioned. At meetings in different venues around the country the chairperson warned members on issuing blank tow slips to clients. You were informed that it was not proper that the rates were not filled in. It will now be law that the client is quoted a rate and accepts this otherwise the tow is gratis, free. Many of you have heeded the warning from the executive and therefore will have no problem in complying. OUR TAKE ON THE ONE TON SLING BACK We need to put into perspective that all UTASA MEMBERS own slings and therefore it would obviously not be in our interest to support any motion on the banning of slings. Any action of this kind would adversely affect our members. Furthermore, it should be noted that discussions with the National Department of Transport (NDOT), have absolutely NOTHING to do with the banning of slings. The meetings are to put a framework in place regarding the standards of tow trucks, as there are currently no such standards in South Africa. The NDOT is concerned together with manufacturers, builders, importers, about the building of tow trucks in backyards by people who are not registered accordingly. The moratorium which was to have been enforced as of 01 December 2010 was put on hold as the Minister of Transport has not signed it yet, and the NDOT is also waiting on comments and approval from other DOT offices on these matters. UTASA will keep you updated. WHAT DOES THE ASSOSCIATION DO FOR YOU? We have been asked this question many times. The objectives of the association is to represent our members nationwide– such is the case with the DTI, NDOT, CONSUMER PROTECTION and negotiating procurement with INSURANCE Companies at meetings that we attend on your behalf on a regular basis. We are there to protect and represent our member’s interests. Our database of towing companies is updated and forwarded on a monthly basis to the different corporates. Although you may not receive business from UTASA directly, many make use of our database as we have a good reputation of honesty and reliability. WHAT ARE OUR MEMBER FEES USED FOR? Your membership fees are utilised for the running of the association in its day to day activities. Paying the salaries of the full time employees of the association Expenses incurred in attending meetings with government department and corporates. Hosting representatives of the above entities in meetings at the UTASA offices TOW RATES We are currently negotiating rate increases and request your feedback on what you consider a reasonable rate. Please bear in mind that for UTASA to keep the procurement we have to be competitive in price and not compromise with bad service. Be assured that we will do our best to serve you well!! UTASA WEBSITE Once again we are in the process of updating our website. There will be a “members area only” whereby all members will be issued with a password and will be able to upload invoices thereby ensuring a smoother process. You will also be able to give us feedback on issues affecting the industry. Please visit and browse through your website, www.utasa.co.za, and post suggestions for any additional changes. Members are also requested to contact the sellers directly on our tow truck shop page. There are some bargains to be found on the tow truck shop page. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) Our AGM will be held in June 2011. The official date and venue will be announced in due course. We request full participation and attendance by all members as this is YOUR ASSOCIATION and your opportunity to either re-instate or elect new officials. We take pride in the fact that we as a towing association can lay claim to transparency and inclusivity. We are also proud of the fact that it is the members who dictate the composition of the executive. Our strength lies in the fact that we have an active working executive committee and not paper representatives. In the event that there is a change in the executive we wish the incoming officials progress and success. May we continue with the spirit of democracy!! In closing we look forward to seeing you at the AGM The search is on… Roger Dyson is offering a high-quality model prize to the operator of the longest-serving piece of Dyson equipment still working. Roger Dyson hits the history trail Leading recovery equipment builder Roger Dyson has launched his own Time Team investigation – by digging back into his past to find the oldest piece of Dyson equipment still in operation. To mark his 40th anniversary in business, Roger has launched a competition and is offering a special prize for the operator of the longest-serving recovery system built by his firm. “We’ve been manufacturing recovery equipment since 1970,” says Roger. “And although the technology and the scale of our operation have changed out of all recognition, one thing has remained true throughout – Dyson bodies have always been built to last.” He continues: “We know there’s a lot of older equipment that left our factory many years ago but is still out there working away and earning its keep, both here in the UK and in far-flung corners of the globe. “But there may be other, even older units that we’re not aware of. So we’d love to hear from operators who are still running such equipment, or indeed anyone who has seen or knows of any possible candidates for the title of ‘Oldest Dyson recovery unit still in operation’.” To make the search a little more interesting, Roger is offering an attractive prize to the winning owner – a one-off, hand- built model of their vehicle. “It will be hand-crafted by a professional model maker,” says Roger, “and is sure to make an impressive taking-point for any office or company reception area, or could even be displayed at home.” Although most Roger Dyson equipment built and fitted at the company’s factory in Droitwich, Worcestershire, is delivered to customers in Britain, Ireland and Europe, exports are also made to further-flung parts of the world. Anyone who operates, or knows of, a vehicle fitted with old Dyson equipment that’s still in operation, should email Marketing Manager Natasha Stolt at natashastolt@rogerdyson.com . The closing date for entries is Friday 1st July, and the judges’ decision will be final. Roger Dyson Group is planning more events to celebrate its 40th anniversary – watch out for details.
Bulletins Bulletins UTASA UNITED TOWING ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA               A partnership that empoweres - Incorporated in Terms of Section 2
© UTASA - United Towing Association of South Africa : Website Design
UTASA
UNITED TOWING ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA
Tel. 08611 UTASA - 08611 88272