Five Common mistakes made by driver risk managers … and how to avoid them
With 40,000 injury collisions a year involving those driving for work and 65,000 a year if commuters are included, there is a high chance something could go wrong. More than a dozen videos are now freely available from the National Highways Driving for Better Business (DfBB) campaign, to help navigate the new legal responsibilities facing employers.
Van operators split over electrification
Major fleets that are buying hundreds of eLCVs and blazing a trail, and there are those who are not enthusiastic but view the arrival of electric vans as something they just have to do. However, it is not difficult to find others who are determined to drag their heels and this has potential implications for fleet van operations. Especially among SMEs, it is not unusual to find vehicles that are 6-8 years old still in daily use.
On test – Peugeot 3008 Allure Premium 1.2L PureTech 130
Back on March we looked at the 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder Plug-in-Hybrid 3008. This time round we've been in the sparky , 3-cyclinder 1.2 version. This 1.2-litre engine might sound small for a family SUV, yet it’s more than up to the task. Performance is respectable and it’s economical as well - we achieved an average of just over 40mpg over almost 500 miles.
Government’s EV charger plan welcomed by fleets
Consumer opinion garnered by Venson throughout 2021 has confirmed that a lack of confidence in the UK’s charging infrastructure and charging capacity has halted plans for an EV adoption for many. 68% of drivers would be more likely to make the switch to an EV if they knew they could conduct a rapid 30-minute charge at an electric forecourt rather than the inconvenience of charging their vehicle at home.
EV deliveries – the charging headache
National vehicle movement and inspection firm, DMN Logistics said that trade plate logistics is a well-established sector within the automotive industry and has largely remained unchanged for decades. However, with shorter driving ranges on a charge than a traditional petrol or diesel car, longer ‘refuelling’ times, and heavier vehicles thanks to the battery weight, EVs pose many challenges.
Has pandemic put strain on road services? – local roads go unloved
Survey, based on local authority assessment of roads across England during 2019-2021, shows A, B and C roads have generally remained in good condition during the pandemic. It reveals 6 % of ‘B and C’ - minor - roads are in need of urgent repair and the state of these roads has remained stable throughout lockdown.
Providing complete fleet management solutions
New offering has been introduced to allow Managers to easily incorporate fully electric and/or hybrid vehicles into their fleets and control the use of all types of fuel on a single payment card. The new card, which offers all the benefits of an existing fuel card, will enable fleet managers to pay for EV charging across a multi-branded charging network
Licence Bureau launches new scanning solution
Technology allows drivers to scan their licences via a camera on their laptop, smart phone or tablet. The data is scraped by the software, auto-populated onto the D906 e-declaration form and is then sent to the DVLA, allowing Licence Bureau to check the drivers’ status in seconds.
EV company car schemes proving a recruitment factor
Fleet management software company FleetCheck said that with more than one million job vacancies in the economy, providing the right company car offering is becoming an especially attractive benefit. Higher levels of taxation in recent years have seen petrol and diesel company cars become perceived as less of an advantage within an overall employment package but EVs have changed that perception completely in a very short space of time.
UK’s first e-bike lease scheme revealed
Initially offered through a group of 20 employers with which Arval already has employee car leasing schemes in place, the sustainable mobility provider has adapted its personal contract hire scheme to enable e-Bikes to be leased too. It’s also available for Arval’s own employees, so that they can get first hand experience to share with customers. .
AX launches end-to-end incident management service
Building on more than two decades of experience managing non-fault accidents on behalf of fleet and leasing companies and franchised dealer groups, AX Motor Assist will offer a 360 suite of incident support services to its partners from windscreen repairs to efficient vehicle repair solutions and handling write-offs.
Two thirds of local authorities have no plans to install EV chargers
With government plans to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2035, the lack of charging infrastructure could prove a significant setback. Only one third (33%) of local authorities could confirm they had an EVCP strategy in place. Nearly half said they did not currently operate any EVCPs. Nearly two thirds (60%) have no funds earmarked for EVCPs to be installed in future.