At the start of this wretched recession, I promised I’d bring you lots of money-saving advice each month – after all, I’m sure all you van fleet operators are looking at ways to pare down those costs to a minimum. Well, this month is no different.

For starters we look at windscreens. Yes, they may appear to be a pretty boring subject on the face if it but when I met Autoglass managing director Nigel Doggett a week or two back, he got me quite enthusiastic about the subject.

You may be interested too when I tell you that by following his advice inside you could save thousands of pounds a year.

I’ve also been to Germany to test the latest Euro V Mercedes-Benz Sprinter engines and was left pretty impressed. Not only are they quieter and more powerful but they are 4.5mpg more efficient than the old ones.

On top of that, there will be no general increase in prices over the Euro IV models – some will be more expensive while others will actually be cheaper. So how did Mercedes manage that little feat? Search me – when I asked, they declined to let on!