I own an electrical contracting business and have eight Vauxhall Corsa vans insured under a fleet policy. I have been with my broker since I started the business 3 years ago. About five months ago business was booming and so I decided to take on two new freelance electricians. I bought two new Vauxhall Corsa vans for them bringing the total fleet to eight vehicles. I added the two new vehicles to the fleet policy bringing the total to eight.

After three months of good business, the demand started to slow, and unfortunately I could no longer afford to maintain my two freelancers, and had to cut their work. I was therefore left with two unused vans, which I didn’t want to sell in case business became busy again.

I didn’t particularly want to insure the two vans, as they were just sitting, unused, in a friend’s lockup, so I spoke to my insurance broker, and asked him to remove them from the policy. He then explained about a new continuous insurance enforcement law. The law is aimed to combat the rising problem of uninsured drivers.

I was informed by my broker that not either insuring my vehicles or declaring them as ‘off the road’ or SORN is seen as a criminal offence and could lead to severe consequences. CIE systems are used to check the database of the DVLA, in accordance with the MID (Motor Insurance Database), meaning they are able to see who has uninsured vehicles, and contact them. A series of penalties can be faced by these drivers if they don’t purchase any insurance, and if caught they will face a fixed penalty of 100, as well as a possible fine of up to 1000 and a court prosecution. As well as these personal penalties, the vehicle(s) in question face the possible prospect of being clamped, seized and destroyed.

Based his advice I decided to keep my vehicles insured, as it could ended up costing me a lot more had I been fined and prosecuted. I am very grateful for the advice my broker gave me as I was unaware of this new law and could have unintentionally broken the law.

After learning the delicacies of the law surrounding insurance, I would suggest all businesses contact their local broker for advice, which could save them a lot of money. Seek advice from a professional to avoid getting caught out by insurance.

If you want to get some fleet insurance for your family or your business, then you should get in touch with Coversure. They are an independent insurance broker with a great reputation and so they can get you the best deal around. van insurance

In the insurance industry we hear the phrase “Fleet Insurance” countless times a day, but rarely think about the expression, and instead just view it as another product to sell. We attempt to sell it to our customers at the best quality and highest suitability for them. The type of fleet we cover varies, and can incorporate almost anything.

While I was studying my for my A Level exams, I was given a life-long interest in etymology after reading Simeon Potter’s book, ‘Our Language’. I enjoy trying to decipher the origins of words, and have realised that by researching the origins, I have gained a deeper understanding of the word itself. Before researching, I believed a ‘fleet’ referred basically to there being ‘more than one’ of any given thing, and that the word dated back to the times when the empire had fleets of ships at its command.

In a moment of weakness, I decided to look it up. It must have more history that that, I thought. And I was right. According to a brilliant web site I have found, called Word-Origins, Fleet comes from a very old Indo European word - pleu-, meaning ‘flow, float’ but the actual word Fleet comes from another derivation of the plue which is the German word fleutan which means ‘float, swim’.

If you are interested, you ought to have a look at the page, because there is a lot more on there. Looking at our use of the word ‘fleet’ today, the turn of phrase ‘a fleeting glance’ is the only descendant in our language of the old verb. Also, there is no relation to ships in Fleet Street, and instead relates to a portion of the Thames. It adopted a sense of transience in the 16th century.

Searching the origins of words gives you a little insight into what some insurance brokers do when they aren’t finding the best quotes for their customers. I’m sure all the other insurance categories we cover have equally interesting names, and I will research them when I have the time.

Fleet insurance is available to households or businesses, to get more information, visit Coversure. They are a reputable independent broker who can secure you a grea deal on you fleet insurance.

Fleet managers who have to book insurance for their vehicles have been in talks with their Fleet Insurance brokers to discuss a way of hindering the rise in their premiums.

According to one fleet insurance broker, the best way to ensure cheap premiums is to manage the risk that your fleet poses to underwriters as efficiently as possible and to do all you can to minimise the chances of presenting fleet insurance claims that fall into the category insurers call “fault” claims, even though to you and me, it isn’t our fault at all!

If your vehicles are damaged by uninsured drivers, weather, vandalism or road debris, you will be forced to make a “fault” claim, which will increase your premium when you come to renew your policy the next year. If the offending party is not an insured and identifiable third party, then a claim will count against you on your renewal.

Timothy Darling, a well-respected Fleet Insurance broker based in Essex said, in reply to the question ‘What can you do to avoid such expense?’ “Many of the “fault” claims made under fleet insurance policies are unavoidable, but others can easily be avoided with a little common sense.”

“You wouldn’t necessarily want to walk under a ladder when the chap at the top was holding a large pot of paint” said Timothy “and the same kind of approach will pay off when you try to reduce your fleet insurance costs. Take one of our most often reported claims for example. In the fleet insurance world we call it “hit whilst parked” and, not surprisingly, it involves vehicles left unattended by fleet drivers and found damaged on their return. Obviously this type of damage can happen anywhere, but it is more likely to happen if the vehicle is parked without any consideration being given to the possibility of an insurance claim.

“It may be legal to park close to the corner of a main road but, if a large vehicle needs to turn into that nearby factory, could it do so without hitting your truck? Even in a designated truck and lorry park there are some places that are a better bet if you want to avoid damage to your vehicle and the subsequent hike in your fleet insurance premiums. My advice is to try not to park too close to other vehicles which reduces the risk of damage by opening doors, and to choose a well lit spot where other drivers can see your car which will also have the effect of deterring vandals.

“I know it may sound a little ridiculous but you need to take the same sort of care in parking your car as you would when placing a valued ornament around your home and if you do, you will minimise the risk of damage and help to keep your fleet insurance costs low”.

cles left unattended by fleet drivers and found damaged on their return. fleet insurance uce your fleet insurance costs. Take one of our most often reported claims for example.

I am an insurance guy, and we do a lot of fleet, truck and commercial vehicle business. Because of this, I decided to go to an exhibition that focussed on various “green” or “Eco friendly” aspects of the transport market place to see if there were any good ideas for help me make insurance cheap. The exhibition was at Earls Court. It wasn’t particularly well attended, but there were some very interesting stands and some excellent ideas for fleet operators and commercial vehicle and truck operators.

One of the stands held a product which aids a customer when the validity of their claim is in doubt, called the ‘black box’, the evidence of which will be allowed to be used in court.

In the case he recounted to me, a truck driver has been in a collision with a car. The owner of the car, and all the passengers (more than the lorry driver remembered being in the car!) were claiming for whiplash. The truck driver claimed that it was only a minor bump, and was surprised that the driver and passengers were making such claims.

The box was able to prove to the court that the velocity with which the truck hit the car was not sufficient to have caused the injuries that were being claimed by the passengers, and this ruling saved the insurance company a lot of money.

Although I do not know whether the story is true, the theory of it appears sound, and is set to save insurance companies a lot of money! Although many people think that insurance companies have loads of money, so they may as well claim for it, they do not realise that the lower the cost of claims the lower the premiums for the customers.

This and other stands meant the exhibition was worthwhile attending, and the prospect of keeping claims to a minimum and therefore reducing the cost of fleet, commercial vehicle and truck insurance was very interesting.

The representative on the stand told me that evidence from such boxes is admissible in court. Working in the insurance business, I am always looking for new ways to gain cheaper quotes for my clients. truck insurance One of the stands was exhibiting a “black box” for vehicles.

Before speaking to my local insurance broker I believed a fleet policy was for larger companies, and I had never heard of a mini fleet policy. My company owned four cars in total to transport my health and safety workers, but I never considered combining their insurance onto a single mini fleet policy to save money.

I used a new broker to renew my professional indemnity, public liability and employer’s liability, and while I was doing this I was told I qualified for an annual insurance assessment. My broker and I had a meeting to deduce whether I was paying too much and whether I was properly covered.

My first meeting was just 6 months after I had renewed my liability policies. I was looking forward to the meeting; mainly because I was hoping that he would identify an opportunity where I could save money.

Luckily for me all my team were all in the office that day for our weekly progress meeting. My insurance broker had to walk past my four company cars that were outside and marked up with our company livery. As I welcomed my broker in to our office, he took my hand and asked “Are all those cars outside owned by the company?” to which I replied “Yes”. He asked if I had any more and I told him I only had four cars outside. He said he assumed I had a fleet policy which surprised me somewhat. I had insured each vehicle separately. Upon finding this out, my broker said, with big smile on his face, “I am glad I came - I can save you money straight away”.

Whilst in the meeting the broker said I would be able to save money on insurance premiums if I combined all my individual car policies onto one mini-fleet policy, which is defined as 3 or more vehicles.

After the advice he gave me in the meeting, I now often ring my insurance broker to find out if I could be saving any money elsewhere. He taught me that it does not pay to just shop for the cheapest deal around, and a broker’s invaluable advice is often far more useful.

fleet insurance My broker and I had a meeting to deduce whether I was paying too much and whether I was properly covered. e to see if your home contents insurance covers expensive items in your car. Luckily for me all my team were all in the office that day for our weekly progress meeting.

Congratulations! Your business grew to the point where the number of vehicles you have was considered to be a fleet for insurance purposes. Your broker negotiated a fleet rate for you. Your vehicles no longer have “no claims bonus”, but your renewal is tailored for you based on your claims experience in the last year.

When you come to renew your insurance, are you expecting a hefty increase? Are you going to shop around?

Shopping around can be hard work for both you and your broker, but it is a good idea to shop around because you are likely to make savings from year to year.

To make savings you need to plan well in advance before you shop around. To give yourself enough time you should leave at least six weeks before your renewal, and let your broker know you need competitive quotes. If you are not satisfied with your broker, find another broker or get the quotes for yourself.

To be properly prepared you need to do more than just leave six weeks. You will need to gather your information from previous claims to tell your new insurer. This information will include the amounts received and the details of the event. If one of these events was a driving accident, in which you were the victim, the insurer will need to know the details about the third party paying. This information can be gathered from your original insurer, insist that you need this information - you are entitled to it.

When using an alternative broker, he will need all the details of all your vehicles, including the make, the model, where they are stored etc. You’ll also need to gather the information regarding the drivers, including age, gender, driving licence details, driving related convictions and so on, so make sure you have the information beforehand. This will not be a wasted effort because your existing broker will want your latest driver information anyway.

With fleet insurance, your administration is simplified, and so it is very convenient, but it can be quite difficult to get the best deal at renewal.

I don’t use it for work but it comes in handy when moving the eldest into and home from university. Allow at least six weeks before your renewal is due and tell your broker that you need competitive quotes. Caravan Insurance fleet insurance Whilst summer means holidays and barbeques for most people, for criminals it means an opportunity.