News - Page 1787

Market trends analysis by John Charles

BCA’s Duncan Ward believes there’s no substitute for attending an LCV auction if you want to keep your finger right on the pulse of the market.

MANHEIM Auctions used the debut sale of the Volkswagen Caddy to launch a new e-mail alert service for Volkswagen Assured Dealers.

YEARS ago, van fleets only rented their vehicles if they were desperate. Garage repars and delays in the arrival of new vehicles contributed to the rare instances of firms hiring vans.

IF any butchers, bakers or florists are happening to read this article, I might as well say here and now that there is nothing of interest for you – sorry!

VAN fleet operators are a notoriously stingy bunch. Tell them they can save ten quid in a year’s time by spending a pound now and they’ll like as not prefer to keep the said pound under a mattress and not ‘risk it’.

THE battle for fleet business in the large panel van and chassis cab sector heats up and the Daily range has been improved in terms of power and safety.

VEHICLE security, like engine emissions and vehicle safety, is one of those things that goes in and out of vogue. Vehicle crime goes up, our insurance premiums go with it, and once again security is brought to the fore.

By Richard Martin, programme manager of NetRegs

FLEET decision-makers are being urged to check that their van drivers are fully aware of the laws on speeding after a commercial vehicle motorist in a Volkswagen Transporter was fined for travelling at 58mph in a 60mph limit.

A RADICAL shake-up of safety for commercial delivery fleets is just around the corner following a Government consultation into the use of seatbelts.

WE were going to call this the large car-derived van sector, having looked at compact car-derived vans two months ago. <p></p>

TREVOR GELKEN suggests one small way to relieve the stress on today’s crowded roads

CHEVIN has announced a fleet management software that can automatically tell the London Congestion Charging Notification Scheme which vehicles have gone into the zone on which days.

FORD has announced the introduction of two limited edition Transit vans.

ROCKETING personal injury claims will push insurance premiums for fleets through the roof unless the Government intervenes to stop ‘ambulance- chasing’ lawyers, a leading fleet claims specialist alleged.

ROLLS-ROYCE has confirmed it will launch a two-door, four-seat convertible in 2007, similar to the 100EX experimental car shown at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. The car will be based on the Phantom, with power coming from a 6.75-litre, V12 engine.

USER-choosers toying with the idea of a 4x4 could be swayed by research which shows the cost savings of opting for a diesel.

A TECHNOLOGY provider that supplies groups such as the Home Office and the NHS with communication systems is the latest fleet to add satellite navigation for its drivers.

NATIONAL Car Rental has announced plans to open four new branches, boosting its number of outlets to 161 and its fleet parc to 40,000.

THE Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) has been given full Financial Services Authority (FSA) approval under new insurance regulations proposed for early next year.

FLEET decision-makers still in a quandary about risk management can sign up to a series of seminars being held early next year.

Newsreader Huw Edwards hosted the annual Fleet News Industry Conference, at which UK suppliers debated how the future would affect the way they serve customers, helped by presentations from a range of experts, fleet decision-makers and the Transport Minister.

INDEPENDENT vehicle leasing and fleet management company Velo is using a new technology system to set ‘realistic’ service, maintenance and repair budgets.

FLEETS considering how they can reduce the number of pool cars they use are being urged to look at a car-sharing club in a new best practice guide.

FLEETS operating in the Heathrow area are shaving thousands of pounds off annual costs thanks to the airport’s Clean Vehicles Programme (CVP).

AFTER becoming the first fleet of its kind to secure a four-star rating from Motorvate, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service is now the latest BP-sponsored Fleet News Environmental Star award winner.

THE use of white space and limited colours has become a watchword in this column for quality.

LAUNCH dates for key fleet models.

THE latest appointments in the fleet industry.