Rochford’s pass the test

Ballyhaunis based business Rochford Motors have been supplying a reliable and efficient service to the people of Connacht for 28 years now, during which time, they have expanded their services to include a VTN Test centre.

The forecourt is always well stocked

Irish Trucker profiles the company and speaks to Managing Director Liam Rochford about the VTN centre that has been testing light commercials in the area since the early 90’s.
The family run business was originally established in 1981 and nowadays Liam oversees the day to day running of the business, which covers many areas.
Rochford Motors are main Mitsubishi dealers and have been since 1984. At any given time, there are 30 new vehicles and 60 used vehicles on the premises. In more recent years, they have taken on the Seat brand and Liam revealed that both makes have been very good sellers over the past few years.

“Obviously sales of new vehicles have dropped considerably due to the current economic climate, but second hand cars and vans are selling well, particularly the ones with smaller engines,” said Liam.
“We have built up a large customer base over the years and this is based on us ensuring that the customer is happy with their vehicle and the service that we provide.”
Liam revealed that money talks during the current recession and on that front Rochford Motors are offering vehicles at competitive rates that their rivals are finding hard to match.

RochfordÕs have been main Mitsubishi dealers for the past 25 years

“Customers always love to get a bargain and with our prices, they can be guaranteed that. We know the way things are at the moment and we are conscious of that in how we are pricing vehicles to our customers.”
At their spacious premises in Ballyhaunis, Rochford Motors could be described as a one stop shop due to the large range of services that they provide.

“Apart from the sales, we have fully equipped service area, body shop, parts department, valeting and of course the VTN centre. A customer can basically get anything done regards their vehicles at the one location, which is a major plus for them as it saves having to bring their vehicle to a number of different places.”
Of course, every good business needs a well trained staff and at Rochford’s you can be guaranteed that is the case as this is something that Liam continuously works on.
“We have 12 people working here and all are highly trained in each of their areas. They will have no problem dealing with any queries or any problems that might arise.”

A smoke tester is used to determine carbon emissions

The VTN centre ensures a steady trade for the business and this is an area that Rochford’s have almost 20 years experience in doing, meaning that they know the trade inside out.
Because of E.U. laws commercial vehicle testing was introduced in Ireland about 27 years ago and originally it was first managed by the Dept. Of the Environment the D.O.E., so the test became known as the DOE; the same test in England was called the MOT. (Short for Ministry of Transport) After that it passed for a short while to the Department of transport and about 3 years ago, it was taken over by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and became the VTN, which is the Vehicle Testers Network; it is a network of test centres appointed by the RSA to carry out tests on commercial vehicles in Ireland. The purpose of the network is to provide a strong and vibrant network of test centres which are required to operate to the highest international standards.

“We are a long time testing vehicles and the legislation has changed a lot over the years. Now, there is a lot more measures to be met and that means plenty more paper work as well,” he joked.

The sales team are eager and willing to deal with any queries

“There are two technicians here testing full time. The technicians go on refresher courses at least once a year to keep up to date with the latest changes. Everyone has come to accept VTN testing as part and parcel of having their vehicle on the road at this stage. We have all the state of the art equipment here as well as the necessary diagnostics needed to perform the test on each vehicle.”
Liam admitted that there are no foreseeable plans for further expansion, but it was a situation that wasn’t being ruled out at some stage.

“At the moment it is a case of holding on to what we have and hopefully build the customer base even further. As regards testing, our excellent facilities here allied to the fact we are open 6 days a week gives us the opportunity to do that as we will be able to test more vehicles per week than before.
“The country is in the midst of a recession and I can’t see that changing for a while yet. However, business is good in the test centre and this is one the main areas that we will be focusing on for the coming year.”