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

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 that your van is always insured, MOT’d and taxed
Adhere to the GB Domestic Hours regulations for vans up to 3.5 Tonnes
Make sure that the driver is familiar with the vehicle’s operations and sticks to the rules of the road

MANY business owners have no idea that keeping a van in poor condition could cost them up to £4000 every day – this figure has been worked out based on penalties and lost income estimations due to poorly kept and overloaded vans from the Driver & Vehicle Standard Agency.

It is therefore crucial for all businesses to keep vans legal, by ensuring that company vans are not overloaded and that there are no serious mechanical defects. Shockingly, over 8 in 10 vans that are stopped by the DVSA are overloaded, and over 6 in 10 vans have mechanical defects.

Either of these problems could result in the loss of the van working for the day and it could also mean a potential court appearance and a hefty fines.

DVSA fines range from £50 to £300 for LGVs per offence, and as DVSA are making more sport checks than ever before, it is imperative that your van is loaded correctly and also maintained properly.

Jonathan Lewis, Business Development Manager for Global Vans, told us;

“It is imperative that fleet managers and smaller business owners understand the implications of overloading their vans, and make sure that the maintenance schedules are adhered to.

“At Global Vans, specialise in providing advice to SMEs and larger companies to help them understand their obligations – we also offer highly competitive maintenance packages when clients take out a business contract hire agreement to help keep things on track, and also to fix the cost of their motoring for the term of their lease.”