Thursday, 17. December 2009
We’ve heard that house prices have increased again but that we shouldn’t take this as a sign that the economy is recovering as it is simply a result of supply and demand. Few houses available with more buyers looking. I’m now hoping that the same rationale is being used when leasing companies view the recent drop in used car prices following nearly a year of increases. The improved returns through auction was Read more »
Wednesday, 16. December 2009
There are over 1,100 whiplash claims every day, how incredible is that? Not surprising that next year Ministry of Justice reforms will aim to speed through claims when the claims are between £1,000 and £10,000, reduced down from 60 days to 15 days. As we all know whiplash is one of the most fraudulent claims that motorists make but for those that actually suffer whiplash it can affect mobility for the rest of their life Read more »
Tuesday, 15. December 2009
Contract hire companies are becoming more difficult when it comes to end of lease condition. Also, whilst new cars retain their warranty, when they are serviced at non franchised garages (dealerships), you need to be certain that the servicing meets the manufacturers recommendations. Â So in the case of cars having body repairs carried out you need to know that they are repaired properly to avoid the Read more »
Monday, 14. December 2009
Many large companies now use telematics to assess the efficiency of their drivers, understand how they drive and whether they take the most efficient route when they are out on their travels. Telematics is a sort of extended Tracker system that not only plots the route of the driver but also records all sorts of other data such as speed, acceleration, braking, fuel consumption etc. The fact is that with so much data Read more »
Saturday, 12. December 2009
Warnings have been issued to employees that are considering a cash for car option. The warning from the boss of Pendragon Contracts, Neal Francis was making the point that lenders are more likely to consider a company application for finance either for company vehicles or as part of their salary sacrifice scheme. He pointed out that the market had changed significantly and individual applications are not as Read more »
Friday, 11. December 2009
Specsavers Corporate Eyecare has revealed that 78% of companies and drivers are unaware of the changes in legislation affecting eyecare rules for those that drive effective from 2011. The current proposal is that holders of commercial licences should be tested every 5 years and private licence holders should be tested every 10 – 15 years. By Graham Hill
Thursday, 10. December 2009
If you are hiring a car or van over the Christmas period it might be wise to ask if you can see the service book before taking the vehicle. There have been some warnings issued that some small daily rental companies have cut costs by not having their cars serviced on time, especially those that are keeping cars longer. The larger rental companies tend you only keep their cars for 3 – 6 months but the smaller operators are Read more »
Wednesday, 9. December 2009
One in a hundred company vehicle drivers is within a point of a ban according to recent research. One in five company car drivers is one offence away from a ban with 20% having between 3 and 11 points on their licence, hence the need for regular licence checks to be carried out on drivers’ licences. The research, carried out by CFC Solutions, shows that a driver who is one offence away from a ban is a significant Read more »
Tuesday, 8. December 2009
The pilot hard shoulder running programme that was started on the M42 has now been extended, a month sooner than expected. The new section, open from the 9th December, is on a seven mile stretch of the UK’s busiest motorway, the M6, running between junctions 4 and 5. This stretch of the hard shoulder is opened up to traffic during busy periods and will have the first ‘through junction running’ allowing Read more »
Monday, 7. December 2009
Shell has shaken up car manufacturers by insisting that all cars supplied into their 14,000 vehicle fleet must have any fitted Sat Nav’s disabled whilst the car is in motion in the same way that DVD players, fitted into the dashboard of some cars, are disabled when the car is in motion.  Audible instructions would still be activated. Shell is well known for placing health and safety high on its corporate agenda and Read more »