Top Taxi Insurance Tips

To help keep the cost of your insurance premiums low there are some tips which may be worth considering.

* Think about the amount of excess you can afford to pay. Buy increasing the amount of excess you can reduce the annual premiums, this also indicates to insurance companies that you will only be making small claims which exceed your excess. If you live in high risk areas this may not be an ideal option.

* Having owner drivers only or named drivers only will also help to lower the costs. Taxi firms which have ‘any driver’ policies will pay far more for their insurance. The only exception to this is if you have a lot of young or inexperienced drivers on your team.

* Give careful consideration to the optional extras offered by the taxi insurance companies. Consider whether you really need them as tempting as they may seem they will add to the costs.

* If you have accumulated a no claims bonus it is well considering protecting it. This typically means that you can make a number of claims without losing your no claims bonuses. Although this may cost slightly more in the long run it can save you huge amounts of money.

* Keep your taxi in a garage or secure compound when not in use as this will significantly reduce the premiums costs.

* If you have an older vehicle with a low replacement value it will be cheaper to have taxi insurance which is third party only or third party, fire and theft rather than fully comprehensive. Speak with insurance companies as those who operate in high risk areas may not be legible for this lower type of insurance cover.

 

 

 

 

Ways To Help Lower Courier Insurance

Courier businesses should give serious consideration to having both their vehicle insurance and their courier business insurance, such as Goods in Transit, Public Liability insurance and Employer’s Liability, all provided by the same insurance company.

Not only will they be able to negotiate better and possibly lower insurance premiums, having one insurance company can save a lot of administration time and manpower as there will only be one company and renewal date to deal with.

Many insurers who specialise in courier insurance are offering some very competitive deals for new business ventures for the first year of a policy. The usual no claims discounts held by drivers and those over the ’age’ thresh hold set by the insurance companies can also help to lower the costs and save you money.

The ‘age’ thresh hold is generally 21yrs, but this can and does vary between insurers, some have an young driver age limit of 25yrs.

The courier insurance market is a competitive place, as such the insurers are offering to beat like-for-like quotes which you may receive from their competitors. The best advice is to shop around to find a great insurance deals which meets your courier business needs from companies who specialise in this type of insurance.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that cheap is best – read the small print, terms and conditions to ensure the quotes you receive meet your needs, if you are in doubt or have questions use the free phone numbers or ring back service to ask before you make a commitment and part with any money.

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.

Fleet Insurance For Multiple Vehicles

If your company has multiple vehicles, it is nearly always cheaper to get a fleet policy to insure your company vehicles. It is a common misconception that a fleet must be made up of trucks and HGV’s, any business vehicle can be counted as a ‘fleet’ no matter its size.

Typically however you will always receive cheaper fleet premiums if most of your vehicles are of the same type. This means that if you insure 10 small vans it will nearly always cost less than insuring a mix of cars, vans and HGV’s under the same policy. The price change is not very large but it is worth considering for companies with a small amount of vehicles.

Generally the minimum number of vehicles needed to use a fleet policy is 5, although the number typically varies from insurer to insurer. As such it is worth shopping around if you have small number of vehicles, just because a couple of companies will not insure your 4 vehicles does not mean others won’t!

This type of policy does not normally include Goods in Transit insurance and Public Liability insurance, these must be purchased separately if needed. In essence fleet insurance covers all of your vehicles under a single policy that is far easier controlled and renewed than multiple individual policies for every vehicle. This saves you the time and hassle of having to renew each policy next year and shop around again for a whole number of different insurance deals. Instead you simply have one policy to renew.

Taxi Driver Regulations Effect From 1st April

Recently there have been a lot of new rules and regulations set up for taxi drivers and taxi companies. While most of them have only been put in place by local councils and not nationally enforced, it can make a huge impact should your company be affected. One such change is the new rules for taxi drivers in Derbyshire.

The Derbyshire District Council has agreed to put in place new requirements for anyone seeking to get a taxi drivers license. These requirements include tests on the Highway Code, local geography and even a written English test. The council says this move is all about increasing standards of local taxi firms. Yet is it just another setback for the taxi companies?

A majority of local firms do agree with the new regulations on drivers, and the council has agreed to mark all vehicles that receive the new license with a council insignia on their doors. This increases local trust in the company, knowing they have passed the regulations. However the council has gone one step further, introducing rules that newly licensed vehicles must be less than three years old.

This is a sensitive issue that some taxi drivers are strongly opposed to, as shown in the recent Newport taxi driver demonstration. Business owners are worried that by being forced to only use new vehicles it means far greater expenditure. Not only will the new vehicles cost more, but their taxi insurance premiums will be higher as a result. These regulations come in to force from the 1st of April.

Shopping Online For Motor Trade Insurance Can save You Money

Shopping online for motor insurance can save you time and money. However, when using the search engines on your pc you have to know or be aware of keywords which will enable the search engines to come up with the best listings.

Spelling errors is a common mistake which ahs of course been used as a successful TV advertising campaign for ComparetheMarket.com where they use a ‘meerkat’ to highlight this common spelling error!

You will also need to narrow your searches to specific details of motor trade insurance you are looking for, such as they type of insurance which include vehicles in different categories.

This may sound all very logical and simple, however, the world of insurance is vast and highly competitive, as such the time you could potentially save actually ends up becoming very frustrating and time consuming.

You could always use an insurance broker who specialises in motor trade insurance and let them carry out the searches on your behalf, but you should be aware that many insurance companies are not affiliated or work in partnership with brokers – these may be the companies offering the most competitive deals. As such it’s a good idea to use a broker as well as carrying out your own researches.

It is also worth realising that cheap does not always mean the best. Many online insurance companies may sound very tempting until you read the small print and see what is actually included on the quote they are providing.

Shopping around for motor trade insurance is an effective way to save money just as long as you are sure what is being offered actually suits your insurance needs!

Cheap Fleet Insurance Deals Online

Fleet insurance is a great way to help reduce insurance premiums. The confusing thing is each insurance company has its own number of vehicles which are required to constitute qualifying for this type of insurance.

Mixed fleet insurance does give you the opportunity to insurance different types of vehicles. Some insurance companies will even include agricultural vehicles which are driven on the public highways.

Anyone who has more then one vehicle should carry out some online searches to find out whether they would qualify, you don’t have to own a business to be able to be accepted. For example insureyourfleet are advertising on the web that their premiums start with as few as two vehicles. They of course ask you to fill in their online quote form or give them a ring, and as with all vehicle insurance nothing can be guaranteed until they are made aware of the types of vehicles, age of drivers etc.

However, if you have a fleet of vehicles which are solely used for courier services, are taxis or HGVs then the number required to qualify may alter!

Typically the number of commercial use vehicles is four or five, but as mentioned it is always checking a number of different insurance companies to see who are offering the most appropriate and competitive fleet insurance deals to see whether your vehicles will qualify.

Having cheap fleet insurance can potentially save you or your company hundreds of pounds each year on premiums while still providing various different amounts 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!

Spare a Thought For Courier drivers

Spare a thought for courier drivers during the treacherous weather conditions.

They may be having enough trouble getting to the destinations safely only to find that pathways have not been cleared and are potential skating rinks! Some members of the public take it upon themselves to clear their own paths, however, extra care should still be taken as black ice may still pose a problem when delivering to people’s front doors!

Drivers may also be wise to check that their employers have included Employer’s Liability cover with their  courier insurance policy. Employers have a legal responsibility to protect their workforce while they are carrying out their normal working duties. If you are unsure as to what is included, the terms and conditions involved in Employers Liability insurance speak with your employer to see where you stand.

You should also check whether the courier insurance is third party only or comprehensive. Third party insurance does not provide cover if an accident was caused by you. This may be an unavoidable situation id you start to skid on snow or ice. Despatch riders are also included on courier insurance, so they need to be sure of their or their employers insurance cover.

The Met office are forecasting more heavy snow fall over parts of the UK today. Combined with freezing overnight temperatures road conditions are going to cause major problems, particularly on any side roads which have not been gritted. This cold snap is thought to be lasting for a few more days at the very least.

Potential Savings with Fleet Insurance

Admiral insurance is advertising on TV that they have introduced a multi-car insurance policy. They say this ideal if you have more than one car. Sounds great but will it possibly lead to people believing this type of insurance is the same as a fleet insurance? Or is it the same as fleet insurance and just been renamed?

Fleet insurance isn’t just for businesses. Anyone who has a couple of vehicles or more should speak with their insurance company to find out if they offer fleet insurance. It’s important to tell them the types of vehicles you have as a mixed fleet insurance policy can potentially give huge savings over each vehicle being separately insured. Most mixed fleet policies allow cars, motorbikes and vans to be covered under the one policy.

There appears to be no consistency amongst insurance companies as to the number of vehicles you need to constitute a fleet. Some advertise three or more while other say it has to be four or more. As there is no consistency it is worth checking out different insurance companies to see what their requirements are.

Those who think they can save money by including young drivers on the policy may be mistaken. Insurance companies will want to know the age of all the vehicle drivers and their driving history. It may actually be more cost effective to insure young drivers separately.

Discuss your needs with the insurers or complete an online form if you have more than one vehicle. You may be pleasantly surprised at what they offer you and the money you could potentially save.