Can Price Comparison Sites Save You Money?

The use of comparison web sites is becoming an increasingly popular way to obtain insurance quotes and while some insurance companies advertise on TV that they can’t be found on any comparison sites others say they do! So how do they work?

Comparison web sites do charge the insurance companies for their services, however, due to the advertising and the increased number of people who are asking for online quotes via a comparison site, the commissions are not necessarily passed onto the consumer or they are included in premiums whether you go to them direct or via a comparison site!

There are some basic key points that you need to check before choosing which insurance company to use. Some may seem very cheap and yet they often only include the very basic cover or have high excess. By the time you have added optional extras such as a courtesy vehicle or legal cover you may not be making the savings you first thought.

Whether you use a comparison site or not you should always spend time and shop around for the best deals and only buy the insurance and optional extras you need!

This is also advisable if you are looking for HGV insurance. However, in order to ensure you are getting the exact cover you require it is advisable to use an insurance company which specialises in HGV insurance.

This may sound very obvious, but with people trying to make big savings on their premiums cutting corners can be a very costly error. Choose an insurer who will offer you a quote that meets legal requirements and your business needs to ensure you have the correct type of cover.

Finding Completive HGV Insurance Deals

Finding completive HGV insurance deals can be a nightmare, with insurance companies all offering cheap deals to gain your custom how do you which is best?

Insurance companies which specialise in HGV insurance are probably the best solution for those want to ensure their trucks are fully protected on and off the road.

Insurers who offer ‘all in deals’ such as One Business Insurance Solutions can save you a lot of time and hassle by including the truck insurance, Goods In Transit cover, Public Liability and Employer’s Liability (if applicable) under one company. This type of deal can also reduce your administration time and the problem of having to remember numerous renewal dates each year.

As with all other types of vehicle insurance there are many insurers who also offer this type of hassle free cover. Reputable companies have business and risk assessment plans which can save you time and money not only on your insurance costs but also help to lower your overall running costs.

Probably the easiest way to find competitive deals is to go online and carry out research and obtain quotes from a number of different insurance companies. If you don’t have the time or quite frankly the inclination, make use of insurance brokers who also specialise in HGV insurance and let them carry out the searches on your behalf.

Business which have more than 4 or 5 trucks can also make huge insurance savings by having a HGV fleet insurance policy. Again, search online to see if this option is available to suit your business needs, the number of trucks needed to qualify for fleet insurance does vary between HGV insurance companies -another good reason to shop around!

Advanced Driver Training Courses Can Help Lower Insurance Costs

Insurance companies are looking very favourably on HGV drivers who undergo a continuous driver improvement scheme. These advance driving scheme can also save haulage companies huge sums of money of the running costs of the trucks.

Driving scheme can refresh the memory of safe driving as well as introduce drivers to newer and safer driving methods, such as avoiding excessive breaking, saving money on expensive tyres and braking systems and finding safe ways to help reduce boredom on long trips.

Measures such as these can also help alleviate poor driving practices which befall the best of drivers over a period of time! Complacency when driving potentially means more risks are taken and increase the chances of being involved in an accident.

What’s more is that HGV insurance premiums can be reduced quite considerably if hauliers take part in an enhanced driving scheme, such as the one day ‘Advanced LGV Driver’ offered by the Institute of Advanced Motoring.

Schemes such as these should be seen in a constructive and positive light, not as a slur on driving ability per say. Drivers will be given a full day both on and off the road, lunch is usually included, where they will learn how to promote a haulage company to deliver a more professional service using safer driving methods and techniques.

The courses are also intended to reduce the number of accidents involving HGVs. As such the number of insurance claims will be fewer and can help protect no claims discounts.

All in all, ‘Advanced LGV Driver’ schemes can save your business money in both HGV insurance costs and reduce running costs.

Lorry Dangles Precariously from the Rear of a Ferry

A tanker carrying a non-hazardous ferrous sulphate powder somehow managed to crash through the rear doors of a Stena Line ferry shortly after leaving port at Stranraer. The ship was due to sail to Belfast. Although the lorry was said to have been fastened securely it managed to slip back, crash through the doors and was left hanging off the back of the ship.

Not much fun for those stranded onboard though. The good thing was that no one was reported being hurt and there was no evidence of leakage from the tanker. As the contents were non-hazardous there would have been no risk to the public if the material had escaped. The 155 passengers and 33 crew were unable to disembark once the ferry had returned to Stranaer as they dangling lorry prevented the ship from docking. They had to remain onboard overnight and sit it out – food and blankets were provided throughout their ordeal. A 400 tonne crane was brought in from the North of England to lift the lorry to safety and allow the ship to dock.

The images shown on TV looked quite dramatic, with the lorry dangling from the back of the ship. It appeared to be hanging from its rear wheels with the cab dipping into the chilly waters. Local people watched the ship sailed back to port to await the arrival of the crane.

It will now be up to the investigators to find out how this could have happened. The lorry insurance and the ship’s insurance companies will have great fun trying to sort this one out!

Are You at Risk from Trucker’s Leg?

‘Truckers leg’ is what the lorry drivers in the States refer to as peripheral arterial disease, PAD, a medical condition which can affect folk who sit for extended amounts of time.

Like most medical conditions there are specific factors which can contribute to the risk of developing PAD. Those who are or have any one or more of the following are most susceptible:

• Over 50 years old
• Smokers
• Diabetics
• Overweight
• Have a family history of heart disease
• Have high blood pressure
• Have high cholesterol
• Women lorry drivers who use an oral contraceptive

Any one or more of the above will most likely apply to nearly all HGV drivers! Consensus of opinion indicates that any form of travel which is over 4 hours at anyone time can increase the potential of suffering from ‘trucker’s leg’ higher. HGV insurance may also be affected if PAD is diagnosed as the driver may be considered to be a greater risk.
There are some simple things that can be done to reduce the risks from PAD such as:

• Wearing compression socks, the sort recommended for long haul flights.
• Driving to tacho rules.
• Walking about at every comfort stop.
• Having the driving seat adjusted correctly. Particularly if you share driving, make sure the seat is properly adjusted to suit you.
• When stuck in traffic jams- move the feet by flexing the ankles up and down and making small circular movements with the feet to help improve circulation.
• Stop smoking- enough said!
• Loose weight- Try eating a more healthy diet and taking regular exercise.
• Get blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked regularly by a GP
• Women HGV drivers- Discuss alternative forms of contraception with a GP

Following these few simple suggestions may help improve overall health of truck drivers as well as helping to keep the cost of HGV insurance down by having healthy drivers!

The Continuing Problem of Fuel Theft for Hauliers

The gradual decrease in fuel is undoubtedly being welcomed by all drivers. However, despite the falling pump prices some hauliers are still trying their best to prevent fuel being stolen from their vehicles.

It is estimated that organised gangs of fuel thieves routinely steal in excess of £500s worth of fuel and resell it easily on the black market.

The biggest problems facing hauliers is that small amounts of stolen fuel is hard to detect. With variations in the way lorries are driven and the diversity of routes taken can make a genuine difference of up to 25% fuel consumption between lorry drivers delivering to the same locations. As such a loss of fifteen to twenty litres of siphoned fuel will go unnoticed. If siphoning is being carried out on a regular basis the costs over a year can be colossal for the hauliers.

Even if they had HGV insurance from which they could make a claim being able to prove small, yet continuous, loss of fuel is very unlikely. The organised fuel thieves are very aware that taking entire tanks of fuel is far easier to detect than a regular siphoning of small, yet lucrative amounts.

Having lorries parked in secure compounds overnight may help reduce the risks of targeted theft of goods, vehicle and fuel. However, hauliers should not become too complacent as many thieves, including fuel thieves, have ‘inside’ sources and access to the compounds!

Installing CCTV cameras may help to deter opportunist thieves. This type of proactive approach to reducing risks and therefore the amount of claims made on HGV insurance is welcomed and encouraged by insurance companies.

Noise Pollution Issue

A local news programme in the south of the country has reported that the noise from tail gates and unloading of lorries is causing noise pollution problems in residential areas. It wasn’t just tailgates that were seen to be causing an environmental issue here, the carrying crates ‘rattling’ were also seen to be a problem, outside smokers spilling onto the streets from nightclubs and pubs were also under fire for increasing the amount of noise.

With many people lobbying against the large super markets on the outskirts of towns taking the lion’s share of trade complaints such as these are not helping to keep local traders open in my opinion. Unloading lorries and trucks is usually carried out as quickly as possible due to limited unloading times, surely a little disruption can be tolerated by local residents?

The police have no specific powers regarding noise pollution, this falls under the Environmental Health Authority responsibility who have dedicated folk who record and monitor noise levels. I feel this is yet another ‘dig’ at lorries driving and delivering in towns. How do these people expect deliveries to be made, surely noise such as this is part and parcel of living in a town? The supermarket in question did offer their apologies and were taking the complaints seriously, but at the end of the day there is probably little they can do to lessen this type of noise from their delivery vehicles.

Your HGV insurance covers many eventualities, however, I really don’t think noise pollution of dropping tailgates is going to be included!

Lower HGV Insurance with Tracking Devices

Fitting tracking devices to a Heavy Goods Vehicle can help lower the cost of the insurance for your employers, but beware they can also track where you go and the routes you take! It’s not really a ‘big brother‘ type of approach where employers spend hours looking at every road you travel to see whether you are indeed using the most direct routes to save on fuel and time, however, if you are a new driver they might well use the tracking as a way of ensuring you have their best interests at heart!

A friend of mine got his knuckles well and truly wrapped when he diverted a short distance to stop off for a comfort break, well that’s what he called it! The company looked at the tracking and pinpointed the road and place he had stopped, you can guess that it was not on his route, his ‘quick’ diversion added both considerable time and mileage which his firm quickly identified! He was lucky is as much as he didn’t loose his job, but with firms constantly looking for ways to save money I suggest that if a ‘quick’ diversion is taken to try and make it part of your planned route!

Tracking devices and alarms certainly have their place in helping with both driver safety and lowering the cost of HGV insurance, many owner-drivers are having them fitted to help the police located stolen HGVs and although the chances of finding the vehicle undamaged and the goods still in-situ are some what remote, at least the HGV insurance companies reward you for attempting to reduce the number of claims you or your company makes for both the vehicle and the goods by offering you cheaper HGV insurance policies.

Dartford Crossing Charges

The increase in charges at the Dartford Crossing. A massive 22% rise for hauliers as prices rise from £2.90 to £3.70 for multi-axle goods vehicles. The good news is that the crossing remains free of charge between 10.p.m and 6.a.m.

Originally the intention was to use the tolls only until the crossing had been paid for, I believe the word toll has been replaced by charges in an attempt to reduce traffic congestion! The Freight Transport Association believe the charges should cease rather than increase.

Fuel prices may be coming down slowly, but it seems to me that as soon as a saving, however slight is made, it’s taken away and replaced with yet another additional payment! With the Dartford Crossing being one of the most important roads in the UK the increase will be paid, albeit grudgingly, by the thousands of drivers every day who use it. What makes the increase even more hard to swallow is that no one seems to know exactly where all the money goes to!

Further good news is that HGV insurance has never been more competitive, on-line insurance companies and brokers are all vying for your attention, as such there are some reasonably priced HGV insurance policies around at the moment, with different options and cover to suit all needs including like-for-like policies and offers of refunds if you find the same policy at a cheaper price elsewhere, so it is well worth looking at your existing policy and switching companies if necessary to obtain the best cover and price to help reduce your overheads.

Top Gear HGV’s hilarious!

Renault Magnum

Top Gear aired their 1st show of the new series last night and what a great way to start off!

As an occasional driver of HGV’s this had me in stitches seeing the boys tearing round in those truck’s, the “Stealth” Renault Magnum was genius.

The power sliding section of the challenge was brilliant, the stig’s trucker cousin, and especially when Clarkson fell off the seat and ended up with “a gear lever up his @rse!”

After the power sliding, the obstacle challenge was also very funny, firstly Hammond drives through a portacabin, followed by May into lots of bottled water and finally Jezza into a brick wall!

Clarkson apparently left the truck in screaming agony, he obviously made a full recovery to host the show this week.

I thought it was brilliant that captain slow won a challenge in a slow vehicle for a change, loved the piano being propped up on “gentlemen’s reading material”.

I hope that the beeb had adequate hgv insurance for those lorries. Ha ha! Love that show.