Van Excellence has, thanks in part to the C V Show, no doubt, seen its 100th customer register their application to be included in the scheme that allows van fleets to show off their above-average credentials. The scheme, officially tagged The Van Excellence Code, was conceived by an assembly of van operators who took on the role of a Governance Group rather than rely on new legislation to highlight the strengths and capabilities of the sector in its drive for excellence.

Launched just eighteen months ago, the code has been successfully attained by twenty four fleets, thirty three are under audit with forty three new fleets now registered and preparing for the auditors to ascertain what they need to do to receive the accreditation.

The makes the round ton, which in itself now covers more than 100,000 light commercial vehicles possibly having a worthy tool in their quest for cheap fleet van insurance, due to the high levels of upkeep and ongoing operational values required to gain this award.

A little like the electrical appliance conformity test, once a van or its fleet have been awarded their pass in the Van excellence Code, it will required auditing on an annual basis to reatin that stats.

Mark Cartwright, who heads up the van and LCV sector for the Freight Transport Association, overseers of the initiative, was extremely enthusiastic about reaching this milestone. He is now looking to attract smaller fleets than those on the books already who average 1,000 fleet vans within their operation. When using a tool like this to back up claims for cheap van insurance, it certainly helps the insurer gain instant perspective about how you look after and monitor your van fleet.

As well as providing extraordinary skill sets for drivers who attain the Code, as recognition and so that fleets who have taken this on board can show their prowess to the world, Cartwright is hoping to raise awareness of the organisation’s existence and hopefully use its standing to attract more van drivers into the scheme. Indeed, there is an insignia for possessing the code certificate, a marque that is becoming more recognisable as further van fleets take on the challenge and prove that they have what it takes to provide service and operation that delivers the best from their brand.

In order to shake of the white van man image, amongst other reasons, the Governance Group drafted in the equivalent to O-licensing for larger commercial vehicles, as a standard that the whole sector could look to.

Cartwright firmly believes that making such schemes as this more available, it will push up the standards of road safety everywhere. The knock on effect may be to bring van insurance down across the sector, simply as a little reward in taking a part in the scheme. It will certainly avail any company going through the testing a route to cheap van insurance where perhaps they may have struggled with nothing other than a clean license to prove their worth to the sector and automotive industry as a whole.

Thanks to further exposure at the C V Show, the code can now be seen on the side of vans who win the award, a number in itself that has reached the 100,000 mark. Early signs suggest it seems that this system will only go from strength to strength from hereon in.

For most organisations, fleet managers especially, surrendering cheap van insurance policies due to avoidable accidents is one of their greatest causes of chagrin. One such accident that falls into that category is, without a doubt, reversing into something (or someone) due to lack of due care and attention.

According to a report by Interactive Driving Systems, who studied 79,403 records going back over twenty years worth of fleet vehicle insurance claims, reversing is one of the top five causes for claims against fleet insurance policies, with the level of risk increasing as the size of the fleet vehicle increases.

For a normal company car, reversing accounted for 13% of all claims; that figure rose by 2% for light commercial vehicle insurance claims and went as high as 19% for heavier trucks and vans, causing IDS to issue a stern warning for all fleet drivers, especially to exercise caution when backing up on a customer or supplier’s premises. Nothing could make a worse impression on a potential customer than the rep reversing into the MD’s prize Jaguar in his anticipation to get the details of his potential commission uploaded to the cloud at the nearest Little Chef!

Andy Cuerden, spokesman for Interactive Driving Systems, warned against complacency when travelling backwards and the fact that hardly anyone recognises a reversal collision as a serious driving offence; however, if the damage is severe enough it can blot a previously clear copybook for a moment’s carelessness, harking back to the original point of budget constraints and the importance of holding on to cheap van insurance policies if driving history avails the company to that prestigious goal.

Reversing aids, for the insignificant cost, could be a worthwhile investment if the type of vehicle the fleet drives is prone to reversing catastrophes; it may well enable the fleet manager to negotiate further discount from the van insurance provider by having this simple sensor fitted to susceptible vehicles.

Further to the warning, here is a check list provided for good habits to get into before reversing out of a tight spot:
• Try to park the van in such a way that reversing out is not necessary, initially
• Check all the way around the vehicle before getting into the driving seat to spot any obstacle in the blind spot(s)
• Beware children and animals, not only on the film set, but they can be unpredictable around parked cars, too
• Rear-view and wing-mirrors are there for a reason, not just to apply your lipstick or eyeliner, Barry – use them properly
• Keep the reversing distance as short as possible and take it slowly
• You may be reversing but keep your eye on what the front and bonnet of the van/car is coming into close proximity to, too
• Trailers and articulated bolt-ons such as generators have minds of their own – practise makes perfect
All of these reversing best practises are designed to prevent accidents and keep your fleet car and van insurance quotes the way they should be: cheap, cheerful and claim free.

Based on a report commissioned by the Department of Transport, it seems that the ‘real’ price tag of electric vans, the out of pocket investment that van drivers are wiling to fork up, is disparate to the actual cost of what the the zero emission vehicles are being marketed at.

Even with low fuel costs and cheap van insurance, it is not enough to swing the deal, it seems.

Despite the government’s huge discounts for plug-in vans that meet all of the criteria set to entice the UK van driver to go green, there is still a gulf in the cost of ownership that is holding back the market, the report by Element Energy has found.

Admittedly, this doesn’t take into account the savings that could be made if the van driver was to be caught and fined in London’s Low Emission Zone, but as there are only 85,000 of the UK’s 3M registered commercial vehicles in the Greater London area the zone covers, it was ruled out as a real cost saving on the whole for the report.

Further guarantees are needed to instil confidence

The BVRLA is lobbying parliament, specifically the Department of Transport, to ensure that there are no more surprises along the way once the tradesman has invested in the green alternative transport mode.

The gist of the BVRLA push is that, okay it’s great that the government have marketed this incentive, but what happens when the three years that the offer stands is over?

Rather than rely purely on government’s making the specific vans an affordable option, the association would like to see some manufacturers’ guarantees that, once the vehicle is bought, servicing contrasts can be fixed and owners aren’t going to be subject to ‘specialist service centres’ that know they offer a niche service so therefore think that they can control the price for ongoing maintenance or that brokers can get away with not offering them the cheap van insurance their driving history deserves.

The projections of cost doesn’t improve with time

Even factoring in government fuel-price hikes over the next two decades the report estimates that the cost of an electric van, currently standing at 50% higher than its diesel equivalent, will still be 10% more expensive by the year 2030.

As the maximum van drivers have suggested they are willing to pay as a premium for ultra-low carbon emissions is 10% now, it is highly unlikely there will be mass demand for any model that falls outside the ‘seven dwarfs‘ chosen for the plug-in grant, if at all.

Green issues, greenhouse effect, greenback incentives

With the world being held to ransom with the threat of further economic meltdown, every businessman or -woman worth their salt are only spending what is necessary. The extra expense to save on a few emissions is not worth risking their business for. That seems to be the message from the potential EV market.

Real incentives in the long term, such as a buy-back option, as vehicle recycling companies handle for existing vans, is an avenue that could possibly see SMEs and sole traders make the switch to battery power. The need for further investment in top-up chargers has also been voiced, with installers so far behind target it is embarrassing and no wonder there is little confidence, yet.

The BVRLA are genuinely asking questions of the government on this issue, pushing for tax incentives as well as fuel savings and cheap van insurance to make the deal right for British business.

There seems to have been a lot of talk from prominent figures in government but, as BVRLA chief executive, John Lewis, puts it so succinctly, until they “put their money where their mouth is”, there’s an uphill struggle to get the EV market going and no one is sure if the van’s have got the juice to make it.

Many self-employed and sub-contractor van drivers are risking what, to them, seems like a safe gamble in order to try to get cheaper van insurance, according to details in a recent report by insurance giant Axa.

Rather than suffer regularly monthly bills, which some would say have been disproportionately raised in recent times, in order to get the cheapest van insurance quotes they are prepared to run the gauntlet by committing to higher excess fees in case they do have a major road traffic accident. What that means is that they will have to stump up a higher contribution to the final bill, making it less likely that – or at least reducing the extent to which – the insurance broker will have to put their hand in their pocket when it’s time to settle up.

Almost ten percent of all drivers have chosen this option over the last two years, according to Axa. Where van drivers may score points over their domestic peers is, even though they are on the road for a greater deal of the time, their driving expertise is much greater, especially for those who drive light commercial vehicles. You may think that greater exposure on the roads would lead to a more expensive vehicle insurance bill, but van drivers are time-honoured and statistically less likely to make a claim on their van insurance policy.

The further cause for concern from Axa lies in the fact that domestic drivers who seek to reduce their monthly outgoings by risking a higher excess are not perhaps taking this measure as a long-term commercially sound saving but because other financial commitments leave them no choice. Assuming that argument is true, it is highly unlikely that drivers will have the funds put by to meet the high excess they’re opting for, which may mean that they’ll not be able to have the vehicle repaired in case of an accident causing the vehicle to be off road.

Axa even has a theory as to the percentage of drivers who are looking for cheaper insurance for their car or van in this manner: almost three in every ten, 29%, have little or no savings; those who have less than £200 put aside, the insurance company believe is greater than a third, the figure they’re estimating being 34%.

This could lead to two worse eventualities, other than the driver being left without transport:-
1. They continue to drive in a potential death-trap, at which point any further cover will be negated;
2. The vehicle is left in the garage for up to thirty days (the entitlement drivers have from date of accident to making a claim) with the damage worsening, compounding the impact of the accident, causing an even greater repair bill. The number of customers postponing or delaying an accident claim in this manner has also risen, according to the report.

Theoretically, if a commercial driver only has a small, regular round and encounters little traffic (I’m thinking Postman Pat, here), increasing voluntary excess could be a worthwhile gamble. Or, as a businessman, building up enough cashflow to create an emergency kitty to meet the contributory value stated at the time of the van insurance quote before troubling the insurance company could also be viable.

But the fact remains, there is absolutely no point in taking out cheap van insurance if the conditions you choose are unsuitable when you need the policy’s cover most.