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Archive for September, 2010

Van drivers reliant on an outboard motor

Thursday, September 30th, 2010

The connection between a charity that operates two life saving hovercrafts, an inshore rescue launch on a Somerset beach, and van drivers, should be a tenuous one at the very least. However, motorists and van drivers in particular have had the charity to thank on several occasions over the last 12 months. The charity have saved one or two van drivers from red faces caused by the embarrassment of having to explain to their commercial vehicle insurance company, why their van should be in the sea.

The Burnham on sea Area Rescue Boat (BARB) is a registered charity that usually helps unwary tourists that get stranded on the sandbanks in the area, or to animal and bird charities rescuing birds in difficulties. In the past 12 months however, they have rescued at least three cars and three vans in separate incidents, unbelievably, two of the vans were from the same company.

The story starts in May 2009 when BARB pulled a van and its very grateful owner out of the mud at Berrow sands and managed to get it on hard sand before the high tide. Just a couple of weeks later a van that had ventured onto the sand to take away a jet ski actually got caught on the incoming tide. The van owner had to scramble out of his window to safety before the vehicle was engulfed by the waves. BARB eventually rescued the van by using their tractor. The same company using an identical van actually got stuck again this weekend attempting once more to retrieve a jet ski. Fortunately this time the tide was retreating and with the help of a dozen holiday makers the van was rescued without getting its wheels wet.

In the intervening period, drivers of a Land Rover, Renault Scenic and a Mini Cooper have all had cause to thank BARB for rescuing themselves and their vehicles from the Somerset beach.

BARB is run completely by volunteers, and no-one is paid. The charity estimates their yearly running costs to be over £30,000 all of which is spent on training and equipment. The charity relies on support from the local community to cover the beaches at Brean, Berrow and Burnham on sea.

Tags: Advice, BARB, commercial vehicle insurance, Van Insurance
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Ply-lining a van

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010

For many tradesmen no van is a custom fit for their business. Although many makes and models of vans will do the job required to a certain extent, to get the best possible use out of the vehicle it may have to ply-lined. Once ply-lined, a tradesman can then set about kitting out the van to his ideal specifications.

There are plenty of businesses that will do a complete ply-lining job for any individual, and if this is the preferred choice then as always be sure to get several quotes for the job before having it done. Also, remember to inform the company providing commercial vehicle insurance of the alterations to the vehicle.

It is also possible to buy ply-lining kits and for most tradesmen who by their job description have some semblance of DIY skills this is a better and cheaper option. The kit will provide you with the ply, the screws to do the job and possibly templates to aid fitting round awkward areas such as wheel arches. Screwdrivers or better still a cordless power screw will be required, but that is more or less it. It is possible to buy kits for specific vans which make the job so much easier because the ply is already cut to size.

If doing the job without a model kit the first thing to do is measure the wheel arches and pre assemble the ply to make a ‘box’. Then cut and fit the panels to the van floor. It is best to just leave them in position without screwing them. The next job is to cut and fix the side panels in position, remembering to leave the wheel arches out of the cut. With small vans the side panels can be often cut from one piece of ply which makes the job much easier. If two pieces are necessary then place little packing pieces to the edge where the join will be. This will ensure a neater finish when the joints are sealed.

When securing the side panels use the longest possible screws, usually 1 inch or 25mm, and once the side panels are screwed in place then they can be fixed to the floor panels and this time use the smallest screws available, usually ½ inch or 13mm. Next job is to fix the pre assembled ply to the wheel arches. Attach a timber baton slightly above the wheel arch and then screw the already assembled boxes to them.

Once the inside is fully plied go round every edge and join with silicon sealant. A more robust finish to door openings could be achieved by using an aluminium strip.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance
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A faulty air conditioning system can get right up your nose

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Having air conditioning in a vehicle has been a great bonus for thousands of drivers. However, the system does need servicing at regular intervals. Bad smells in an air conditioner can be really unpleasant. Many drivers and passengers will have experienced this problem when turning on the air conditioning hoping to get cool fresh air and instead having the vehicle invaded by what smells like body odour or sometimes much worse.

Delivery drivers in a van covered by commercial vehicle insurance do not want to be driving for eight hours a day in a vehicle with a smell coming from the air conditioner. The mildew smell coming from the air conditioning system may be caused by a fungus growth inside the vehicles air conditioning system. As this smell goes through the inside of the vehicle it can be absorbed into both the seats and the carpets of the car.

Knowing what has caused the smell can help prevent the smell from coming back. The bad smell will often start by using a drive-through car wash with the air conditioner on the setting which allows the intake of air from outside. This will allow the water to be splashed in through the air vents around the windscreen wiper area. To eradicate the chances of this happening turn the air off completely or put it on the re-circulate setting, this will prevent any dirty water from outside getting into the air conditioning system.

Run the vehicles air conditioner on a regular setting as much as possible instead of using it on maximum. Having it on maximum often creates moisture inside the system. If the max setting has to be used, it is always best to turn it down shortly before the vehicle will be turned off. Doing this will give the system time to dry out, and will prevent the mildew from forming. Buy a spray that helps to eliminates smells and purifies the air; these are available at numerous stores. These are made especially for cleaning the air conditioning in the vehicle. Spray into the outside and the inside air conditioner vents to get rid of the smell. By doing this just once a year it could prevent nasty smells from returning.

As with other systems of the car that are serviced on a regular basis, the same should be done with the air conditioning system. Having a yearly servicing of the vehicles air conditioning system will guard against any problems in the compressor and other vital parts of the system. Having regular maintenance will save hard earned money which can be spent on something else.

Tags: air conditioning, commercial vehicle insurance, Van Insurance, vehicle technology
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Lollicam out to lick rogue drivers

Thursday, September 16th, 2010

Many van drivers have found their commercial vehicle insurance payments go up because of minor traffic offences recorded by fixed speed cameras. However, the collective sigh of relief from van drivers across the country at the demise of fixed position speed cameras may have been a little premature.

There is no doubt that drivers who earn a living traversing the roads of the UK were, in the main, delighted with the news that many local authorities were planning to turn off a great number of the speed deterrent cameras under their control. The planned turn off was in response to the cost cutting measures forced on them by the government and their cuts in the public purse.

The proposed turn off has prompted many protests from road safety groups who are concerned that deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s highways will once more start rising. Motoring organisations on the other hand have been in favour of the reduction in speed cameras and are keen to put forward the argument that the great majority of drivers in the UK are responsible motorists.

Although the demise of fixed position speed cameras seems assured, most police forces will still be operating mobile speed cameras which they believe are more successful in catching rogue van drivers and other motorists who are flouting many traffic laws and regulations.

It now appears that mobile cameras will have another partner in the fight against speeding drivers. A council in Wales worried about losing the fixed cameras in sensitive areas such as areas around schools are trialling a ‘lollicam’. The trial will take place in Flintshire and will work by installing a camera on the road patrol officers ‘lollipop’ which will be activated whenever the pole is grounded, which means that children are crossing and traffic should be stationary. The camera will record the registration number of any cars or vans not stopping and action will then be taken. At the moment the Road Patrol Officer can only take the registration number of law breaking motorists on paper, which is difficult as they are busy supervising children at the time.

The ‘lollicams’ could well catch on and the great number of motorists would probably see greater value in cameras recording traffic transgressions in areas around schools rather than on the ring roads surrounding our towns and cities.

Tags: Advice, speed cameras, Van Insurance, Van Safety
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E series approaching 50

Wednesday, September 15th, 2010

As the Ford E-series van approaches its 50^th birthday its manufacturers have announced they are to introduce a new special edition.

Back in 1961 the world and especially the UK was on the brink of many things that were to become legend. The Beatles were strumming their guitars in Liverpool, Bill Nicholson was putting his double winning Tottenham Hotspur together, Mary Quant was in college designing dresses and Ford decided to unleash the E series van. And how they were all loved.

The E series van was offered in three distinct models the pick-up, the delivery van and the station bus. Drivers took to the van immediately and commercial vehicle insurance policies have been taken out on thousands upon thousands of the vans ever since.

The Club Wagon model was introduced a year later and its passenger carrying attributes immediately made it a big hit with big families. Moving on a year and the novel introduction of safety belts became an additional extra.

1969 saw the launch of the second series and the options of air conditioning, a powerful V8 engine and power steering came at a price. Fast forward to 1975 and the third series named the Econoline was launched. The main feature was a more luxurious interior design and the choice of more engine options. It must have been successful as well because for 17 years nothing changed as regards the introduction of a new series until 1992.

The fourth series cemented the Ford E series as a world leader in almost every department. By 1995 the E series van was in a class of its own. Econoline attained leadership in almost all aspects of the full-size van market with a 48% share of its segment, 33% of the van conversion market, 90% of the Class C motor home conversion market, 40% of the parcel delivery van market, 90% of the ambulance market and 39% of the passenger van market. The Econoline reigned supreme.

And so to the special edition for 2011. Ford have installed a voice-sync communication and Music system, embroidered retro seats, and a blue metallic finish dedicated to the econoline only.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, E Series, Ford, Van history, Van Insurance
Posted in Guides, commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

Ice Cream, hot stuff in Dubai

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

They often say that the greatest part of any successful business venture can be traced back to moment when the idea came into the entrepreneur’s head. In many cases of course this has been a spark of real genius by an inventor. The Dyson empire springs to mind as one example. But this is not always the case, sometimes it can be as simple as transferring one successful, established business idea from one area to another.

The usual problem with the second option is that the transfer of the idea to a different geographical area usually means the resident population need to be introduced to a concept that may take some getting used to. A period of low sales and difficult trading conditions can be expected.

Not always though. Take one thriving business that has been set up by a couple of van drivers in the United Arab Emirates. The two young brothers spotted a real gap in the market in Dubai of all places, generally recognised as a hotbed of financial and business acumen.

While visiting his ex-pat parents in Dubai eight years ago Dan Furlong found himself longing for an ice cream to cool his throat in the searing hot heat and sand of Dubai. He looked around for an ice cream van on every street corner he passed, but to no avail. Research revealed that in fact there was not a single ice cream van in Dubai.

Dan and his younger brother decided to set up business and managed to get a trading licence, ice cream van and commercial vehicle insurance to start selling ice cream in Dubai. Strangely enough even now, eight years later the boys who now have three vans still have to import ice cream from the UK and the USA.

Dan said the vans were a hit with the many travellers from Britain immediately but it is now the local people from the Emirates who are their best customers. It is the old favourite ice creams that are in biggest demand with magnums going down very well. The two van drivers have now got a licence to operate in Abu Dhabi as well, so the business which has five full time employees will soon be expanding and the merry music from ice cream vans will be heard in the souks of the Emirates for a long time to come.

Tags: business, commercial vehicle insurance, Ice cream vans, Van Insurance
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Popemobiles ready to roll

Monday, September 13th, 2010

A couple of UK van drivers will be blessed with a very precious and rather unusual cargo in the coming weeks.

The visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom over the next few days has caused great excitement amongst the Roman Catholic population of Great Britain, and to ensure everyone gets the best possible view of the religious leader, two bullet proof vans have been shipped over from the Vatican.

These are not ordinary vans of course. They have been designed to give the Pope a full 360 degree view of his surroundings through bullet proof glass, and of course that means the crowds wherever they are placed will get a good view of him. The popemobiles as they are affectionately known will be driven by British drivers, one will be used for the Pope’s visit to Birmingham and Scotland, the other will be used for the London part of the pontiffs visit.

The vans are converted Mercedes Benz models and although they are planned to be driven at a very sedate 6 mph during the Pope’s visit, they actually have a top speed of 99 mph. It is unclear if they have commercial vehicle insurance but Dr Alberto Gasbarri, who oversees arrangements for all the Popes visits said “The Holy See has two Popemobiles but there are others scattered all around the world. The two for this trip were sent to Britain in a secure container by road and are currently in a secret location. Both of them use green petrol and the driver will be British and chosen by local authorities in Britain. He will have to be a competent driver and he will get a chance to accustom himself with the Popemobile.”

When questioned about the age of the vans Dr Gasbarri said although the vehicles were eight years old they had only 5000km on the clock and were in pristine condition.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, Van Insurance, Van Safety
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Shetland bids farewell to its fish van

Friday, September 10th, 2010

The coupled effect of sky high fuel prices and the soaring cost of fresh fish has conspired to bring about the end of a daily part of life in one of the UK’s island chains.

Next Friday will see the end of the Shetland Isles fish van, a much appreciated service that delivered fish to some of the more far flung areas of the islands. The service run by fish merchants, Hunters of Scalloway, will come to a close on the 17^th and the vans sold off. Hunters will still operate their fresh fish shop on the island and continue to operate their processing factory where a dozen islanders are employed. It is thought the end of the fish van will force a couple of redundancies.

Gibbie Hunter, who originally set the van service up said the family were bitterly disappointed at having to stop the service as many older islanders were reliant on the other supplies it carried. He explained “You were never going to become a millionaire out of it. But it’s gone on and on, and as years have gone by things have gotten dearer.

Everybody knows the cost of fuel in Shetland nowadays. Fish prices at the market in Shetland here now are as dear as they have ever been. We’ve increased our prices on the vans, but the more you increase the prices the less you sell. People who were buying six fillets a year ago are only buying four now. Fish is now coming to be like steak. Steak is cheaper in fact. If you’re running a van it burns a lot of fuel – and mind, we’re doing a lot of mileage”

The cost of commercial vehicle insurance would also have been a factor when the family added up the sums, but eventually advice from bankers and accountants persuaded them that the rest of the business would suffer if they carried on absorbing the losses from the delivery vans.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, Van Insurance, van insurance advice
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Vauxhall Astravan, a tradesman’s choice

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

For many tradesmen in the UK, getting the correct mode of transport is one of the most important factors in determining the success of their business.

The Vauxhall Astravan is the vehicle of choice for many professional tradesmen and it is easy to see why. Window cleaners, plumbers, personal delivery services and computer servicing businesses are typically the types of professionals attracted to the Astravan.

The Astravan is available in three models starting with the Club, which is priced at a few pounds over £12,500. The Club comes with a remote control central deadlocking security system which is highly beneficial for tradesmen, and a central cup holder which is more important when running a business than people may think. Both the steering wheel and seat are easily adjustable and the van is equipped with all round disc brakes and anti-lock braking.

The Sportive model is around another £2600 more than the Club but does have several extra features that will appeal to certain trades. The Sportive has dark tinted back windows which are a definite security boon, air conditioning and electric mirrors and windows. As its name suggests the Sportive does carry several sporty additions as well; sports seats, a low profile roof rail and body coloured mirror housing and body mouldings. The sports look is completed with a leather covered steering wheel.

Top of the range and coming in at almost £17,500 is the Sportive SE. The extra money brings even more sportier looks such as; lowered suspension, 17 inch Alloy wheels, body coloured front and rear spoilers and to finish the look a lower skirt and sills.

The engine range of the models is quite good; there is a choice of a 1.3 CDTi, 1.7 CDTi, and a 1.9 CDTi. The manual gear box has six gears and there is a choice of an automatic transmission on the 1.9 CDTi (120PS). There are plenty of colours to choose from too. The basic paint job is offered in Power Red and Olympic White. Metallic options are; Metro Blue, Sovereign Silver and Technical Grey. Three colours are offered in Pearlescent finish, they are; Panacotta, Black Sapphire and Iceberg.

It is fair to say that most tradesmen will be happy enough to settle for the Club which after all is £5,000 cheaper than the Sportive SE, and will attract cheaper commercial vehicle insurance in most cases.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, Van Insurance, van tradesman, vauxhall astravan
Posted in Advice, Van Insurance, commercial vehicle insurance | No Comments »

Vans sales still holding up

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

With the coming of the new 60 number plate car and van sales were expected to be stale in August. And although this was the case for cars it seems plenty of van drivers decided to buck the trend of waiting for the new registration plates. Sales show that over 8000 vans were sold in August, a boost for the vendors of commercial vehicle insurance as well as the vehicle manufacturers.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that van sales last month went to 8,666 which gave a year on year increase of 2.7% and took the total of vans up to 3.5 tonnes sold past the 200,000 barrier for the rolling year. The figures for 2010 are even more impressive. The monthly August figures show over a 15% improvement on August 2009 with the year to date sales figures almost 17% up on last year with a total of 133,245 vehicles sold so far.

4×4 utility vehicles once more had a good set of results. The market for these vehicles seems to be a constant success. The August year on year figure of 4,675 sales showed a rolling year improvement of 18.5%. Monthly sales of 111 were almost 30% better than August last year and the year to date figures show an increase of 16%.

Paul Everitt, the Chief Exec of SMMT, once more greeted the van and truck figures cautiously. Although welcoming the increase in van sales particularly well, he noted that truck sales were far from disappointing and finished his statement with yet another plea to the government to tread very cautiously with the forthcoming spending review.

Car registrations were down over 17% on the rolling year but this came as no surprise as the 2009 figures were inflated by the government scrappage scheme. All together just over 55,000 cars were sold in August which is traditionally the slowest sales month of the year. Nevertheless the SMMT are forecasting over 2 million car sales throughout 2010 which will just push 2010 sales past 2009 figures.

Tags: commercial vehicle insurance, vehicle registrations
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