HUGE congratulations to all the team at Hartlepool Borough Council on winning Northern Local Authority Fleet of the Year with Transport News.

The prestigious award comes after Vision Techniques installed VT Brakesafe and VT Ident Plus safety systems for the council’s fleet. VT Brakesafe eliminates rollaways by implementing a handbrake failsafe system, while the VT Ident Plus prevents theft or injury caused by untrained and unauthorised drivers.

Liam Wilkinson, Hartlepool Council’s fleet officer, said: ‘We’ve worked in partnership with Vision Techniques for over ten years and have relied on their innovations to help us enhance fleet safety. ‘Unfortunately, we’ve seen instances of rollaways in other parts of the country, and as a local authority, we need to eliminate risk wherever possible. Our absolute priority is to ensure we are creating a safe environment for our people to work in and that our vehicles are the safest they can be for the public, and these products help us do that.’

Northern Local Authority Fleet of the Year: L to r Comedian Scott Bennett, Thompsons purchasing director David Owen handing over the award to Hartlepool Borough Council’s Fleet Officer Liam Wilkinson, with presenter Sameena Ali-Khan.