Clarkson Fails Twice!

The recent TV showing of Jeremy Clarkson taking a scooter driving test in Vietnam has hilarious! Not only did he look extremely uncomfortable perched on the scooter he just couldn’t keep within the white lines on the figure of eight and failed the test! However, in Vietnam you are allowed to re-take the driving test straight away and yet again Clarkson managed to fail much to the amusement of his colleagues!

If only the motor bike driving test was that simple in the UK or maybe not? Although there are quite literally thousands of scooters driven by people from all walks of live in Vietnam their road conditions, rules and regulations are very different to the UK.

The number of mopeds being driven around UK towns has increased due to many fast food outlets offering home deliveries. The vast majority of the drivers are running on L plates and many have few or little driving skills or experience as anyone who has either followed or been subjected to their near side over taking will fully appreciate!

Business which offer home deliveries will however be able to take full advantage of low cost insurance premiums if they have numerous delivery mopeds. They only down side is that as many of the delivery personnel are very young their age may mean higher costs, so it can be a bit of a ’catch twenty-two situation.

The easiest way to find cheap courier or fleet insurance to go online and carry out some simple researches to find insurance companies who offer insurance to meet business needs at the most competitive prices.

President Obama’s New Cadillac-‘The Beast’

President Obama arrived in London yesterday with a cavalcade of vehicles so large that they were unable to all actually get inside Downing Strret!

Obama’s new Presidential Limousine has been custom-designed to protect the his life with updated security features which are kept securely under wraps. It of course has elements such as run flat tyres and the doors are as thick as a 747’s.

Inside luxury exudes from all quarters making this limousine truly ‘fit for purpose’. While the security of the Barrack and Michelle Obama is paramount during their visit to the UK one has to wonder just how many thousands of dollars it must have cost to bring the entire motorcade into the country?

With the one Cadillac costing $250K the entire fleet would run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many will argue that these are not the most fuel efficient vehicles to be driving around in with the current global economic situation, not to mention the affects this fleet will be making on the environment.

This new presidential Cadillac is nick named ‘The Beast’ by the US Secret Service, which seems very apt for a vehicle of this size.

You may not have a vehicle quite as high tech as ‘The Beast’ but if you own a fleet of luxury limousines probably the most cost effective way to insure them is with a fleet insurance policy. This can be tailored to meet the needs of each of the luxury cars you own and operate, with many optional extras such as European cover should your fleet operate on the continent as well as in the UK.

Government Propose Further Crackdowns On Uninsured Drivers

Yesterday the topic of cracking down on the estimated two million uninsured road users was discussed in Parliament.

However, the British Insurance Brokers Association, Biba, asked the government to ‘add teeth’ to the bill.

Biba’s technical services manager Graeme Trudgill said  that the bill ’does not provide enough of a deterrent to halt the scourge of uninsured drivers who are making our roads so unsafe’.

Britain has the worst record of uninsured drivers in Europe which cost law abiding citizens approximately £30 extra on their insurance premiums to meet the cost of those who choose to flout the law.

Biba has called on the government to raise the fixed penalty of £100 for uninsured drivers who are caught on the roads and to establish a visible and effective enforcement agency. They also ask for the enforcement agency to be given the power for clamping and vehicle disposal.

Those driving on the UK roads without insurance usually means they do not have any tax either and while insurance premiums are remaining pretty stable at the moment these are unlikely to ever be reduced unless every single vehicle had valid insurance and let’s be honest that it is not likely to happen, although the proposed new measures may be enough of a deterrent to make some people think twice before driving without appropriate car insurance.
Anyone who has two or more vehicles should try and take advantage of mini fleet insurance deals to help lower the cost of their annual insurance costs.

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.

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.

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.

Is Your Fleet Ready for Winter?

Frosty mornings and snow fall in many parts of the country means that your fleet needs to be in tip top condition to keep all of the vehicles on the road and earning money.

Simple tasks such as using anti-freeze is quite often overlooked by many people. Whether you have your own garage which services the vehicles prior to winter or each driver has responsibility for the vehicle they drive, it is imperative to make sure that anti-freeze is put in the radiator and that tyres are in good condition to help reduce the risk of breakdowns or accidents.

Making tyres are in good condition is an essential part of winter driving. Tyres which are on the verge of reaching the minimum permitted tread depth will not grip the road well. This may cause vehicles to slip and slid and potentially cause accidents.

Overlooking these simple tasks can potentially increase your fleet insurance premiums as you may have the need to make more claims. Not only may the premiums increase your no claims bonus may also be lost. Having a generous no claims discount can have a dramatic impact in reducing the insurance premiums. Make a claim and your bonus goes out of the window!

Some insurance companies will offer protected no claims which enables you to make a certain number of claims before losing the discount. Although this is ideal, you may also need to read the small print of the policy as many insurances will not payout on claims which the insurance company believe to be caused by negligence. Failing to put anti-freeze in the vehicle may be classed as negligence. An expensive mistake to make for such a simple task!

Fleet Insurance Documents

You will receive three different documents from the insurance company. Once received all three will need to be read through to ensure all of the details and information is correct. If there are any errors the insurance company should be advised as soon as possible to ensure all of the fleet is covered.

The certificate: The certificate is the document which contains the details of the fleet vehicles. It also includes the dates for which the policy is valid and will include the drivers named to use the vehicles.

The insurance certificate is the legal document which is required to be produced when an accident occurs, when the vehicle/s need to be taxed or if a driver is asked to produce it by the police. It is an offence in the UK not have appropriate vehicle insurance.

The Policy: This sets out and informs the full terms and conditions of the insurance cover.

The Schedule: The schedule provides details of the policy. This will include the amount of excess, no claims discounts and the level of insurance cover e.g. Third party Only, Third Party Fire and Theft or Comprehensive.
Each vehicle will be given a certificate insurance, along with a copy of the policy and or schedule depending on the insurance and company requirements.

All fleet drivers should be informed of where the full set of fleet insurance documents can be located within their workplace base.

Fleet drivers are advised to check through the fleet insurance certificate and inform management of any discrepancies or inaccuracies to enable them to have them amended by the insurance company.

Sat Navs are Easy Pickings

Sat Nav

Many companies with fleet vehicles are insisting that their drivers make a conscious effort to remove all valuables from view when parking to help lower the number of fleet insurance claims they have to make, which in turn may help to lower their insurance premiums.

Cunning opportunist thieves are also wising up to the fact that most people put their Sat Nav out of sight in the glove box! Thieves are now not simply looking for valuables left inside a car but are consciously targeting vehicles which have the tell tale signs that a Sat Nav is used by looking for the circular mark left on the windscreen and breaking into the vehicles to search the glove box to find the equipment, easy pickings for those who leave a mark on their screens.

What is even more frightening is that the thieves are not just selling the Sav Nav to make a fast buck, but are turning them on and using the ‘take me home’ option to let their ‘colleagues’ know that there is an potentially empty house waiting to be burgled. Scary stuff, not only is your car damaged but your home ransacked all in the same day.

A word of advice, remove the mark from your screen with a tissue, making sure you don’t just leave a smudgy mark before you walk away from your vehicle, lock the glove box or take the Sat Nav with you and remove the ‘take me home’ or last destination option from your equipment. All a bit of a pain to do I know, but for the few moments it takes it is well worth it.

Cost Effective Fleet Insurance

A business which has a fleet vehicles will benefit hugely from having a fleet insurance policy. Typically a fleet consists of four or more vehicles but there are some slight variations on numbers of vehicles depending on which insurers are used.

Vehicles which are insured on an individual basis can work out very expensive for a company. The are many advantages to having fleet insurance, probably the best being the huge reduction in costs and the flexibility of vehicles being able to be driven fully insured by any number of drivers, as long as they all meet the criteria of course! Generally this means that drivers are over a certain age, that all drivers hold a relevant UK driving licence and that you have a reasonable claims record. Many fleet insurances will also offer discount if the number of drivers is reduced, with some giving further discounts if your drivers are experienced.

Another great advantage is that fleet insurance is not just for cars, fleets of vans, motor bikes, HGVs, minibuses and taxis can also be covered under a fleet insurance policy. Like all vehicle insurance there are different insurance options available with policies purely for third party only through to fully comprehensive. There are also insurers who are happy to transfer any no claims discounts earned of vehicles which are not fleet related which is good news for expanding businesses.

For those who have a mixture of vehicles, cars, vans, motor bikes or lorries fleet insurance will cover all of these under the one policy, however, as with any insurance policy the best thing to do is shop around and get the best deal for you and your company’s needs.