Category: Fleet News

Fuel Card Services are pleased to welcome two new sites where our BP fuel cards can be used and confirm that two sites have recently reopened after work to refresh and update facilities.

Opposite Anfield football stadium in Liverpool, Priory Service Station – L4 2SL opens next week. This is not a Bunker site however it does offer a high canopy as well as a range of food and drink options.

Euro Garages Stevenage Service Station – SG1 2FS joined the BP network this month and is located just off Junction 7 of the A1M. This is a non-bunker and non-HGV suitable site with a range of quality food brands to choose from for a refreshing stop.

After 6 months closed Great Torrington SF Connect – EX38 8EJ reopened on 22nd July. The site is located on the A386 and offers drivers a great M&S stop on their route.

Additionally, Bridgend Garage – KY15 7HY recently reopened with a brand new HGV lane. This site is situated on the A92 and now suitable for HGV’s – please note however this is not currently a Bunker site.

Find your nearest BP pump

The end of the summer is fast approaching and that means a last chance for drivers to get out and about in the sunshine. It’s a busy time of year for travellers, so there are more cars on the roads and that can, ultimately, mean tempers get frayed.

With this in mind, GEM Motoring Assist has offered some helpful advice on how to deal with irate road users – we’ve all been face to face with road rage, but keeping your cool is essential.

Don’t get drawn in

When faced with another driver who’s less than serene, GEM road safety officer Neil Worth advises:

• Keep calm and show restraint: Avoid using your horn or making gestures in anger; this will only antagonise others.
• Resist the urge to ‘get even’: Even if the standard of someone else’s driving is sub-par, don’t feel the need to educate or rebuke them.
• Say ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’: Courtesy goes a long way, so always remember to show appreciation to other road users and apologise for your own mistakes.
• Move away from trouble: If push comes to shove, move away from any potential confrontation and don’t be tempted to engage.

Mr Worth concluded: “Most of us will have some experience of being on the receiving end of someone else’s aggression. Thankfully, violent and unprovoked attacks are rare, but it pays to be observant and if possible to recognise signs of trouble at their earliest stages.”

Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “With busy roads come a great deal of frustration, but knowing how to defuse a potentially volatile situation will ensure you avoid becoming the subject of others’ anger.”

More fleet owners than ever are choosing Volvos as their company cars, if new sales figures are anything to go by.

According to Volvo Car UK, the brand recorded a 43 per cent rise in true fleet sales for January to June 2019, making it the fastest-growing brand in the sector.

A growing choice for businesses

More than 8,500 cars were sold for business use during this six-month period, contributing significantly to the 30,000 units sold overall.

This keeps the company on target to meet its ambition of selling 60,000 units every year by 2020 and marks a 27 per cent increase on the number sold last year.

Volvo has been focusing heavily on its offerings for business customers, having recently launched a virtual sales team and business sales manager to help busy fleet owners source vehicles for their companies.

Managers may also have been more tempted to try a Volvo after the brand demonstrated a winning streak at industry awards during the start of the year.

Its XC40 won New Company Car of the Year at the Fleet News Awards – the first ever SUV to do so – and the XC40 Momentum T3 scooped Best Compact SUV in the Business Motoring Awards.

Looking ahead, the highly-anticipated XC40 T5 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid is likely to encourage even more interest among business owners.

Volvo Car UK spokesperson Steve Beattie said: “The strong increase in true fleet sales is testament not only to our fantastic new product range, but also to the dedication of our fleet team and their unremitting focus on making life easier for our business customers.”

Volvo has produced more than 21 million cars since 1927.

Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “Volvo has always been renowned for its safety, comfortable ride and engineering, so we’re not surprised to see fleet owners viewing it as their go-to brand.”

Fleet owners and drivers have been quizzed about their challenges and concerns for the future as part of a major new poll – and the findings make for interesting reading.

Leasing company Arval asked 3,980 fleets a range of questions about fleet and mobility trends for the firm’s 2019 Mobility Observatory survey.

Infrastructure and tax biggest worries

It found 49 per cent named a lack of suitable road infrastructure and the congestion stemming from this as their biggest perceived challenge over the next five years.

A further 30 per cent said tax, although these concerns may have been abated slightly this week as the government announced a freeze on company car tax.

Other worries listed included unclear government policy towards transport (19 per cent); alternative fuel policies (19 per cent); and the introduction of more clean air zones in urban areas (16 per cent).

Arval spokesperson Shaun Sadlier said: “The breadth of issues mentioned in response to this question shows that fleet and mobility managers are facing some very difficult challenges over the next few years.”

He added it is interesting that most of the issues mentioned by the respondents relate to external regulatory and policy factors and their impact on fleets, rather than the practical issues that might have cropped up.

However, clean air zones were sure to be high on the list, as their associated charges can add a big financial burden to those with older fleets needing to drive for business.

Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “This poll presents a vital snapshot of what is on the minds of fleet owners in 2019, and we hope the government takes it on board when developing future policies for the roads.”

FORS Fuel Expert is proud to be working with the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) to sponsor the upcoming workshop “HGV and PCV Fleet Management Essentials“.

Taking place in Croydon on 16 July 2019, the workshop will run throughout the day from 09:00 to 17:00.

What’s on offer?

The one-day HGV and PCV Fleet Management Essentials course is offered to FORS members at the discounted price of £130.00 + VAT per person. Non-FORS member price is £295.00 + VAT per person. If you are not a member of FORS and would like to book, please contact the FORS helpline on 08448 09 09 44 or email enquiries@fors-online.org.uk .

A comprehensive one-day course, Fleet Management Essentials (O’Licence) equips delegates with the knowledge and skills required to effectively perform the duties of the formally appointed ‘responsible person’, maintaining continuous and effective control of the fleet operation as required by FORS Standard version 5 Bronze requirement M3.

The course provides an overview of good fleet management principles, the operator licensing system and the FORS Standard. It is the first fleet management course that aligns the undertakings of the Operator Licence with the requirements of the FORS Standard ensuring an effective and valuable learning experience.

The course is appropriate for:

• Existing goods and passenger CPC holders requiring an update on current legislation and industry good practice
• Managers and supervisors preparing to undertake the transport management CPC qualification
• Managers and supervisors responsible for running Restricted Operator Licenced fleets
• Transport office staff employed to support Operator Licence undertakings such as records maintenance, tasking drivers, allocating vehicles etc

Course attendance includes a knowledge check assessment at the end of this training course. Successful completion of the assessment leads to the ‘Certificate in Fleet Management Essentials (O Licence Operations)’. This is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) in association with FORS.

Please bring your driving licence on the day. It will be required to ensure your records are added to the FORS Professional training register.

*Please note you must be booked on this workshop in order to attend and you must bring your confirmation ticket with you so that you are allowed onto the course.*

Get in contact with our Major Accounts Manager and FORS practitioner Rachel Pearson. Find out how FORS-registered members can save up to 10p per litre on diesel with a discounted fuel card.