Staying legal – invaluable stuff

Small fleet firms neglect essential van inspections

By |2017-03-07T10:35:15+00:00March 7th, 2017|Roof Racks & Ladders, Van Advice, Van Law, Van management|

SMALL van fleet owners often neglect essential van inspections and should do more to ensure their vans are regularly inspected during their operating life. We already know that heavy vans are the worst for failing the MOT test, and this failure to conduct regular risk assessments is a real duty of care issue, reckons Gain Solutions. A decade on since [...]

Longer Berlingo Electric expands Citroen’s zero emission LCV range

By |2017-03-03T10:52:37+00:00March 3rd, 2017|LEZ and Congestion Charge, Van News|

 CITROEN will offer more choice for electric van buyers, with the addition of the longer L2 550 LX version of the Berlingo  Electric van - and you can save more than £5,000 with Plug-in Van Grant. This new longer version of the Citroën Berlingo Electric boasts 250mm more load length than the existing L1 model (2,050mm compared to 1,800mm). The load volume [...]

Van loading safety: how to stay within the law

By |2017-02-20T13:40:47+00:00February 20th, 2017|Van Law, Weights|

HOW important is van loading safety to you? Well, we reckon that how much importance you place on loading your vans safely and securely probably depends on whether you are a business van manager or a van driver. Let’s be honest, many business van managers are more likely to be concerned with getting as much as possible into the back [...]

Higher penalties for using mobile phone and speeding – with tough line on van drivers

By |2017-02-02T09:09:45+00:00January 26th, 2017|Van Law, Van News|

Factors increasing seriousness of speeding offence include Poor road or weather conditions Driving LGV, HGV, PSV etc. Towing caravan/trailer Carrying passengers or heavy load Driving for hire or reward Evidence of unacceptable standard of driving over and above speed Location e.g. near school High level of traffic or pedestrians in the vicinity Source: Sentencing Council DRIVERS who break the law [...]

The law on driving and mobile phones gets tougher

By |2016-09-20T15:14:32+01:00September 20th, 2016|Driving offences, Van Law, Van News|

Using mobile phones while driving: penalties It is against the law to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving any vehicle. This includes using it to read a map or check a text as well as take or make a call The penalties for driving carelessly or dangerously when using a handheld or hands-free phone can include disqualification, a large fine and [...]

Is it a car, is it a van? Beware the big double cab pick-up speeding trap

By |2016-08-16T16:18:42+01:00August 16th, 2016|Speeds, Van News|

BIGGER pick-ups starting to arrive could be caught in a double cab pick-up speeding trap - because some should be sticking to van speed limits rather than the higher limits for cars, warns Arval. The major leasing company says models such as the most popular double cab derivatives of the latest Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux and Volkswagen Amarok can exceed the legal 2,040kg unladen weight [...]

Smart speed camera warning to van drivers

By |2020-09-09T09:30:15+01:00June 2nd, 2016|Speeds, Van News|

VAN drivers who flout their class speed limits are at greater risk of being caught. That's the latest smart speed camera warning to van drivers as the latest hi-tech camera systems show that you really must know and stick to your limits. You can no longer rely on cameras 'clocking' only those vehicles exceeding the standard car limit for the road - say 70mph for a dual [...]

Van operators risk jail with high level of vehicle neglect warns VW

By |2016-03-11T16:41:23+00:00March 11th, 2016|MoTs, Van News|

Vans unfit for purpose Nearly 50% of all light commercial vehicles fail MoT test first time Operators face jail if an accident revealed failing in duty of care 45% of all MoT faults could be avoided through simple, regular maintenance MoT test failures leads to increase in costly downtime BUSINESS owners risk hefty fines and even jail through the high proportion of [...]

Licence Bureau launches Permits to Drive at CV Show

By |2016-03-08T13:50:36+00:00March 8th, 2016|CV Show, Driving licences, Van News|

Permits to Drive All-in-one tool for assessing whether drivers have correct and up-to-date documents New tool builds on existing comprehensive licence checking and compliance platform FTA Tachograph feature to be added to portal following CV Show   LICENCE Bureau will relaunch its Compliance Managed Services (CMS) portal with the all-new Permits to Drive feature at the Commercial Vehicle Show on [...]

Don’t let your vans drag your business down and cost you £££s

By |2015-08-11T10:03:36+01:00August 11th, 2015|Driving offences, Van Law|

Van legal checklist Make sure the driver is entitled to drive a van including Category B vans for up to 3.5 tonnes Check the maximum weight that is stamped on your van’s identification plate and make sure that your load does not exceed this amount at any time Ensure all loads are strapped correctly in place during transit Make sure [...]

Paper licence stay of execution extended after Government backs down

By |2015-09-15T16:32:08+01:00December 17th, 2014|Driving licences, Van News|

The paper counterpart isn't for the chop just yet The Government has done a u-turn on abolishing the driving licence paper counterpart next month. At the end of November in reply to an enquiry by Business Vans, the DVLA said, “We want to make it as easy as possible for motorists and businesses to access government services. Timescales for [...]

Safety first…second. Or not at all?

By |2015-11-13T18:09:05+00:00December 2nd, 2014|Driving offences, Van Law|

Unfortunately it is no surprise to see mobile phones topping the list as the number one driving distraction SMALLER business van fleets are putting safety on the back seat and not being proactive to protect themselves from potentially huge claims, according to a survey. Brake and Licence Bureau questioned 228 fleets about driver education and the topics they [...]

Rental companies will be able to use a mixture of free and paid for services to verify drivers’ details early 2015, the DVLA confirmed yesterday

By |2015-09-15T16:32:11+01:00November 27th, 2014|Driving licences, Van Law, Van News|

External licence checking companies like this one are likely to become more popular with the change in DVLA rules THE DVLA is planning to roll-out new ways to check driving licence entitlement and points after the current paper counter-part is dropped next year. The vehicle rental industry in Britain this week expressed concern over how they will check driver’s DVLA [...]

The DVLA has failed its test for withdrawing the paper counterpart to photo card licences, says the rental industry

By |2015-09-15T16:32:11+01:00November 27th, 2014|Driving licences, Van Law, Van News|

Want to hire a van short term? Beware, as the axing of licence counterparts, could mean calling the premium rate DVLA call centre for vetting. HIRERS wanting vans for short term jobs face having to use premium rate DVLA call centre number or private vetting businesses, according to the BVRLA. The counterpart, which has been around since 1998, is [...]

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