Fleet of foot

The 20-strong team at the Uxbridge fleet workshop is a fine example of a vital element of our business.

These are the people that keep the Royal Mail fleet in west London running 24/7, 365 days a year, performing scheduled maintenance and emergency repairs to 940 vans and lorries.

Fleet is an increasing growth area for our business. As we continue the commercialisation of our fleet, vehicle technicians are playing an increasingly important role in the business.

‘Ever since we became an MOT centre in January it has taken off incredibly, and it’s bringing in some good revenue,’ said Richard Leigh, workshop manager for west London.

Other contracts with national courier Whistl and British Gas add to the workload, as does Autocare, our scheme to service and repair vehicles of colleagues and their friends and family.

‘We’re growing all the time and the team will turn their hands to anything,’ said Richard. ‘They’re all working incredibly hard.’

Shift leader George Dunsdon has worked on our fleet for almost 30 years.

‘It’s unrecognisable now from when I started,’ he said. ‘The business has changed and the job has changed.

‘Commercialisation has been a learning curve for us, but it’s all going very well.’

The workshop carries out annual servicing on vans, with HGVs inspected every two months because of their high mileage. Despite many running with up to 1.5 million miles on the clock, the team keeps them moving day in, day out.

Off-site repairs are carried out by Fleet service vehicle technicians, such as Michael Hockley.

‘I go out to deal with breakdowns on-site, which can be anywhere between Ascot and Edgware,’ he said. ‘I’ve been a technician in the industry for 37 years. It’s the best place I’ve ever worked.’