Transport Focus, the new watchdog company in UK road usage, has published its list of priorities for the SRN. What’s more, they’ve based results on the most import views of all: those of the car, van and motorcycle drivers subject to our roads’ conditions.

The survey upon which Transport Focus based the report tasked almost 5,000 road users across the spectrum. The intent? To discover what their priorities were for improving UK roads from 17 possible actions.

Are UK road surfaces as bad as all that? Well, yes, they are!

The clear winner, from both car/van respondees and motorcyclists, was “improved quality of road surfaces”. One respondent, who travels on French motorways on a regular basis, puts theirs “far, far ahead of UK motorways”.

The main problem, for which UK roads have become synonymous, is potholes. Every winter, more roads seem pockmarked with them.

Repairs only seem to happen once the hole has become so dangerous it’s the cause of an RTA. By then, the cost of repair and any insurance claim is already inevitable.

But many other aspects are causing van, car and in particular motorcycle riders problems. Other specific criticisms of the surfaces of our Strategic Road Network included:

• noisy concrete on the M27;
• drainage on the M62;
• general erosion between motorway lanes.

Other priorities of note for UK car and van drivers

Beyond a resounding agreement on the first priority, the list separated thereafter between drivers on four wheels and those on two.

Not surprising, design and maintenance was next up for those on four wheels.

Slip road safety, sufficient traffic volume capacity and speed limits (the inclusion of more) were specific requirements cited by drivers.

Second for motorcyclists was “better behaved drivers.”

Mirroring the speed limits warning from four-wheel drivers, motorcyclists are also conscious of other drivers breaking the speed limits.

Motorcyclists also cited undertaking and overtaking (for HGVs) a specific problem, one rider claiming,

“What spoils the journey [is] inconsiderate car drivers.”

Argue with (any of) that, if you will.

Are motorists likely to get what they want?

We can’t publish an update today without mentioning the budget. And the new bands of VED (road tax) are sure to have an impact on what money the department for transport will spend on UK roads.

For existing car owners, their road tax is ring-fenced. That’s in line with the government’s pledge in March’s budget to spend £15bn on the road network.

So the short answer is, yes. Some of the improvements drivers have asked for they may well get, in time. The government’s priorities and theirs may, however, differ.

But new road tax bands, which are based on CO₂ emissions, have raised other concerns. Electric and ultra-low emission vehicles are enjoying widescale uptake. It’s great for the environment, but it’s also key for meeting EU specifications.

The new VED reforms, explained in depth by the BBC, seem to disincentivise fleet managers to go green beyond the first year of vehicle ownership.

For businesses and fleet managers with budgets to adhere to, electric vans may well become a less favourable option. With fuel duty also frozen, those who favour petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles will be happy, at least. Not to mention the fuel companies, themselves…

Back in April, official figures for the number of new vans bought in the first quarter of 2015 were impressive. Firms and van drivers ordered close on 100,000 new commercial fleet vehicles, a figure representing a 22% upsurge on the number of vans bought the same time the year before.

Confidence in the economy growing? Businesses more profitable? A sure sign that recession was on the wane? If those were the reasons that explained the hike in new van sales a few months ago, it was a confidence short-lived.

A new report by LDF, the vehicle finance specialists, points to a polar end of the commercial fleet market. An end ten times bigger than that at which you’ll find the businesses with the resources to reinvest in their fleet.

Reality check: the party pooper

All told, back in Spring, trade bodies were flipping cartwheels when 108,456 commercial vehicles in total rolled off the order books.

Both online sales and attractive finance deals went some way to explaining the high numbers. And it was a successful campaign, creating the highest quarterly volume of vans sold since number-crunchers had been keeping records (1987).

The LDF report similarly reports on a new record. For the first time ever, more than a million vans on UK roads have served ten years or more. The actual figure for comparison is a little over three vans for every ten you see has a decade on the clock.

Driving commercial vehicles into the ground

The affluence at one end of the market is not a trait you’ll find common in smaller business owners who rely on vans to carry out their service.

Peter Alderson, LDF’s MD, believes that the report identifies small businesses in particular running their fleet “to the absolute limit”.

There comes a point when running costs become a barrier in themselves. Older vans are less fuel efficient, more costly to insure and certainly less friendlier to the environment. Keeping them roadworthy becomes a fool’s errand.

Another report by a financier, this time GE, may help spread some light on this reasoning. The reason small business owners and corporate fleet managers see things differently is explained quite succinctly.

Their recent Company Car Trends research puts three clear factors at the top of the most wanted list for fleet managers:

1. Reliability (53%)
2. Whole Life Costs (48%)
3. CO2 output (32%)

These three traits were more important to fleet manager than the cost of the vehicle itself, which only 30% saw as a key factor. That’s the difference: different things take priority when it’s not your money you’re spending.

For the white-van man, the investment in their vehicle is one of the biggest costs in running their business. For a manufacturer? The fleet is a means to an end. That sole traders keep vehicles well past their sell-by date, compared to larger enterprise, thus becomes clear.

Time » money » lifeblood of your business. We get that. But there are instances when cutting corners can be more costly to you, your business and other road users. Loading your van over and above the legal limits is one such time.

Volkswagen van research has published findings of a survey proportionate to the three million LCV users on UK roads. The results are astounding.

VW’s findings suggest that more than 50% of light commercial vehicles are overloaded as they take to the road. That, in itself, is a huge improvement compared to DVSA stop checks. Of the 10,000 vans it stops on an annual basis, 93% are carrying too much weight. But it’s still way over any acceptable limit.

Know your payload: a handy visual guide

In order to address the issue, Volkswagen has produced a handy guide to help you find the payload of your vehicle. The infographics are based on their own models, but each has a handy weight reference. If you know the capacity of your van, it will give you an idea of how much you’re safe to carry.

It’s also worth pointing out that payload and GVW are not the same animal. GVW is how much your van weighs including you, your load, petrol, passengers and your packed lunch. Payload is the weight of the load you’re transporting.

You should also take extra care in positioning the payload on the bed of your vehicle. Too high a percentage of the overall load placed in one spot can increase wear on your axle and affect the van’s balance. Not that your vehicle’s likely to topple, but it can affect steering, braking and disproportionate wearing of vehicle components.

Facilities for checking your load are everywhere

On that note, there is no valid excuse for overloading your van. Carrying too much weight can be the catalyst for all manner of hidden dangers coming in to play:

• vans’ performance features are measured (and marketed) within their designated payloads;
• steering, braking distance and manoeuvrability are seriously impacted;
• insurance is invalid for any accidents in which your overloaded vehicle is involved;
  • being overweight needn’t be the cause; just carrying too much will invalidate any claim;
• with so many more vans over a decade old on the UK’s roads, the cost to repair wear and tear caused by overloading will be astronomical over the lifetime of your vehicle.

So it’s not just DVSA being pernickety. There are valid reasons for ensuring you’re driving within your vehicle’s GVW.

Still not sure how and where you can check out your payload? The government has a page dedicated to helping commercial vehicle drivers find their nearest weighbridge. That’s well worth bookmarking for drivers who collect loads from anywhere in the country.

Where do you go when you need a man and a van? You have a special delivery to make, beyond the reach of your own fleet, but to whom do you turn? Yellow Pages? Online reviews? How trustworthy are they, the reviews, the driver and their vehicle(s)?

Wouldn’t it be handsome if schemes like the FTA’s Van Excellence could offer you impartial advice?

Well, guess what. Said Van Excellence programme has just announced a new recognised partner in Prohire.

Prohire has built its reputation of supplying on point vehicle hire solutions by focusing on one thing: serving the customer.

Today’s fleet manager is a different animal

It’s a ploy that’s worked, and deservedly so. The problems facing logistics and fleet managers today are different than those from a decade ago. More managers are from an IT background; they’ve not come through the time-honoured driver-promoted-to-transport-manager route.

When they have to work out how to get [extraordinary load A] to [destination C], the [optimal transport B] doesn’t always spring to mind to fulfil the equation.

That’s where Prohire comes in. Their software takes the mundane, repetitive tasks out of the running of vehicle hire companies. Yet they also offer a turnkey website that enables customers to book under their own steam.

Having both options allows business owners to be proactive. They can serve clients who need more assistance than others one-to-one; those more savvy can just get on with it.

It’s this innovation that’s seen the FTA recognise Prohire’s sterling work, raising levels of Van Excellence across the industry.

To even consider such an accolade existed a generation ago would have been laughable. And to envisage the tech behind fleet management that makes it the most cutting edge department in many firms today? You’d have been carted off to the asylum.

TomTom’s CURFER could curtail your curfew

Another candidate for excellence, this time helping drivers perform better behind the wheel, is TomTom Telematics. Their new smartphone app, CURFER, could not only help drivers become better in real time, but also help newer drivers attain that Eureka moment.

Let’s explain. By now, everyone’s used to ‘Black Box’ technology employed by insurers to help bring down premiums. Termed ‘Black Box Insurance’, the monitoring devices feed back information to the insurer so that they can scrutinise your driving.

As well as your performance behind the wheel, if you’re only covered during certain times of day, having the monitor is a deterrent to young or cautioned drivers tempted to break their curfew.

Same great driver feedback without the intrusion

The TomTom Smartphone app literally gives you the same information. It doesn’t have GPS, this is to enable driver privacy. But what it does do is give you realtime feedback on how you’re driving.

If there are elements of your driving where you know you’ve picked up bad habits, the app will make its assessment for you to see there and then. Without taking your eyes off the road, of course.

Knowing where you’re going wrong can not only help you to improve your safety, but also to drive incident free. The fewer incidents you have, the less your insurance premiums will cost when it’s time to renew. It’s not rocket science. Okay; well maybe it is, just a little.

If you’d like the benefit of ‘Black Box’ monitoring but without the intrusion, TomTom’s CURFER app could well be the SMART solution.

Digital Driver Database Replaces Paper License

As of the beginning of this week, 8th June 2015, UK driving license rules changed. The paper counterpart that accompanied your photocard license is no longer a valid document.

Now, any new licenses issued will be made up of the existing photocard, which was introduced to conform with the rest of the EU. But instead of the old paper part that accompanied it, you now have your very own digital driving database!

All of your driving history is now online as part of the MyLicense scheme. Like the old paper part, your database includes any details that the DVLA can’t fit on the credit card-sized photocard part of your license.

Free access assuages the naysayers

The initial reaction of most business owners to the change was, perhaps understandably, negative.

They’d use the paper counterpart of a license for many elements of managing their fleet. From hiring drivers and fleet vehicles to checking points to see what impact a driver’s history would have on insurance, the information on the old documents was vital.

But opinions change. And, to be fair, this new way for drivers to manage and share their details is quite ingenious. For a start, access to your My License information is free.

Anyone who’s misplaced their paper counterpart in the past and had to fork out £20 for a replacement will appreciate that, at least.

No one to blame but yourself

In addition, drivers will now have no way of covering up their past misdemeanours. The benefit to safe drivers is potentially immense.

Imagine if you’re hiring a van, for a removal, a trip to the continent or a minibus for a group excursion. Theoretically, the hire company can actually base the rate of insurance you pay on your own record.

It’s possible that the days of paying generic, over-the-odds premiums to compensate for bad drivers’ cover are nearing an end.

Sharing your driving history is a doddle

This is how the new system works for sharing your info.

You log into your MyLicense account on the DVLA website. Whilst you’re in there, you can generate a code, called a license check code, for a third party to access that information. Only you can authorise this code.

What’s more, the third party can only use it once. And then they have to use it within three days. Once the code’s been used or 72 hours has passed, the code you’ve generated will become null and void.

When they’re in your database, they don’t have access to all of your data. They’ll only be able to see:

• the types of vehicle your licence permits you to drive;
• penalty points and/or disqualifications you’ve accrued;
• your full name as it appears on your driving license;
• the last 8 digits of your driving license.

As your photocard contains an image of you as well as the license number, the new facility means no one can use your information other than you.

Now, when you give vehicle hire companies a snapshot of your driving history, there’s no doubt about the validity of your information.

MyLicense: more than your job’s worth?

You can share these details with your employer, too. If your driving record is impeccable, the MyLicense facility could be the difference between you and another getting the dream driving job.

The benefit for fleet managers is therefore immense. Potential employees now have no way of covering up an imperfect driving record.

And rather than having to wait for an employee to bring in their counterpart from home, just give them access to the internet. They can generate a license check code in an instant. You can then log on to the check code portal and garner the information you need first hand.

General Abolition of the Counterpart Infographic

Much has been made of the shocking accident on an Alton Towers’ roller-coaster ride this week. Our reflection on the week’s van industry news likewise has its ups and downs:

1. Go skippy, a Bristol-based automobile insurance firm, is shipping 150 jobs to South Africa;
2. Worcester CC maps an award to street information;
3. an unlicensed, uninsured driver escaped jail after crashing the car he was driving into a Peugeot Boxer.

Van insurance firm enters “period of consultation”

BRISTOL, Monday 1st June, 2015: Staff at a Bristol-based insurance firm have been left gutted by their employers. Upon turning in for work as usual, they were called into an extraordinary meeting.

The company’s founder told the workforce there and then that Go Skippy, the vehicle insurance brand for Eldon Insurance, was trialling running their operations from Africa.

All but a few of the 150-strong workforce, built up from a base of 60 employees when the company launched two years ago, are facing a jobless summer.

Whilst the firm is in “consultation”, the founder Thornbury Arron Banks has placed his workforce on garden leave for a month and a half.

Many of the staff who’ve been with the company since its inception are amongst those in the “significantly reduce[d]” workforce.

Poor results from last year’s business were cited as the reason for the bulk shipping of the jobs to Africa.

35-yr old left with broken neck after A2 collision

CANTERBURY, 3rd June, 2015: a 40-year old has been banned from driving for a year and fined £1,000 for careless driving.

Matthew McShane, then from Gravesend, was driving his in-law’s Seat Leon in treacherous conditions when he careered into a Peugeot Boxer van, sending it into a ditch.

The weather conditions were so bad, there were no actual witnesses to the crash itself, which happened on the A2 near Canterbury in February of last year. That lack of witnesses saw McShane escape jail, the ban and fine his only punishment.

For the driver of the ill-fated Boxer, Christopher Skinner, it was a different story. He was left with multiple injuries, including a broken neck as well as fracturing two ribs and his sternum.

He’s only just returned to work, needing 15-months’ recuperation to recover from the incident. The punishment hardly fits the crime, with the guilty driver since having set up a tattoo parlour in Cornwall.

Worcestershire CC Pick Up Prestigious Gold Award

EDGBASTON, 19th May, 2015: let’s finish with some good news!
On Tuesday 19th May, Worcestershire County Council won the Gold Performance Award for the data it produces and maintains about its street-mapping.

Every van driver will know how critical taking the correct route is to getting to site on time. And it’s information collated by the councils, which it then incorporates into all sorts of subsets of other data, that make coherent maps.

At first glance, you may think keeping street data up-to-date is simple task. But when you read the DoT‘s Delivering the next generation of road mapping for England and Wales document, you’ll see that it’s anything but.

Good roads and less mileage all reduce the wear and tear and even insurance premiums for the UK’s commercial drivers. Congratulations to Worcestershire CC, and let’s hope others follow suit!

First up this week, we’re reporting on something that’s going to happen. According to newsshopper, London is due to suffer torrential rain next week.

The like of the downpour forecast we’ve not seen since a guy named Noah got his three sons to build him a floating menagerie. So if you’re intent on driving around the capital in your four-by-four in the middle of next week (how we’ve evolved since the 2×2 of biblical times), here’s a handy guide on business car manager of how to drive in the rain.

The guide, delivered by the Institute of Advanced Motorist’s Kiran Devgun, is pretty much common sense. It covers what van drivers should be doing:

• before getting in the vehicle, know what your schedule is; fail to plan, plan to fail;
• don’t expect, inspect; check your vehicle, especially if you’re taking the reins from a.n.other;
• sat navs don’t come insight from Michael Fish; plan your route to avoid flooding hazards;
• I’ve seen the light! Great on the road to Damascus, not so good for dazzling drivers or your own visibility;
• More haste, less speed – take your time in the rain;
• Break it down; hammertime; be prepared for a breakdown with the right tools and your AA/Green Flag/RAC membership/phone number in your fully-charged smartphone.

With the guide entitled Wet, Wet, Wet, we’re just hoping that Londoners aren’t literally Holding Back the River come Wednesday evening.

Yorkshire hotspot uncovers a myriad of offences

On Tuesday night, North Yorks police stopped 127 vehicles in a crackdown on motoring offences. The night, dubbed Operation Checkpoint, was full of surprises.

The list of traffic offences for which official reports were issued on the night were:

• driving without insurance;
• unroadworthy tyres;
• driving without MOT;
• using a mobile phone whilst in control of a vehicle.

They’re your standard fare motoring offences, even if you don’t expect the police to issue a dozen reports in one planned evening of scaled manoeuvres.

But the icing on the cake for the Met was the apprehension and apparent prevention of a crime.

They stopped one van that was filled with specialised equipment. Upon closer inspection, the gear was typically used by burglars.

The two men in the van were arrested and detained in custody by the North Yorkshire constabulary, rounding off a successful night in the fight against motoring crime.

Pensioner sees her world and ice cream van go up in flames

For over thirty years, Italians Carmela and Pietro Barbaro have been selling ice creams from a van on Ilkeston Market. The couple, 69 and 72 respectively, have been in the business for almost 50 years in total and have a second ice cream van in Long Eaton.

On May 21st, Carmela parked up on Bath Street ready for the shift. An onlooker alerted Carmela to smoke, which he could see coming from the engine from across the road.

As she turned to see at what ‘Paul’ was motioning, she saw plumes of smoke filling the van from around the steering wheel.

The market community rushed to help with fire extinguishers and, although Carmela escaped injury, they couldn’t stop the van from going up in flames.

She did the right thing, not thinking to bring out her belongings. The blaze claimed personal belongings, takings, sat nav and her laptop.

The couple are waiting to see what, if any, of those possessions their insurance covers. Reports didn’t say whether the emergency services coned off the area.

The AA has warned that the first quarter dip in insurance premiums is not unprecedented. As firms try to buy market share (or end the fiscal year on a high), policy prices drop.

But there’s something more fundamentally wrong, waiting to catch unsuspecting car and van drivers out. It’s the insurers themselves who’ll support the cost of swathes of Personal Injury claimants seeking compensation.

It’s a worrying trend. And whilst new measures are brought in to test soft tissue injuries such as whiplash, the damage may well have already been done.

Janet Connor, AA Insurance MD, is so concerned that she’s aired her views on the back of research undertaken by the insurers.

Where do motorists think the cash for payouts comes from?

The results are worrying. It’s not the statistical evidence. The actual number of incidents on the UK’s roads is dropping.

It’s the mindset drivers have adopted against the backdrop of the UK’s ‘compensation culture’ that’s the main concern.

There’s a direct correlation between the cost of cover and the amount paid out in the claims courts. Janet’s calling for drivers to visualise that link and change their attitude towards making a claim.

Whilst most van insurance may be channelled through the company, that’s no excuse to claim ‘just because you can’. The time for opportunistic payouts must end to add stability to an already fragile market.

But it will take a huge sea change in the attitude of many drivers on the UK’s roads to bring it about. One in nine drivers in the AA’s research wouldn’t blink when making a claim in no-fault accidents. Even if no one’s injured!

Insurance cover already increasing for some

The time to renew car and van insurance is now. The reductions in cover cost are coming to an end, as they often do once the surge of new vehicles has filtered into the market.

Older drivers can already vouch for the incremental cost of their policies. What the AA don’t want to see is a return to 2010/2011 rates, when policies were hiked 40% in a year.

As the Bank of England reins in its forecast for economic growth, businesses don’t need substantial rises in the cost of their fleet insurance.If the trend of crashes reducing but claims rising continues, increased costs seem inevitable.

The reduced cost of the average policy, as is the case across the country, will soon reverse. And we won’t be able to blame the insurers this time. They’re already warning us that they’re backed into a corner.