Have you been thrown in the deep end to fleet management, or are you just finding it difficult to assimilate the many changing facets of finding the optimum performance for your car fleet insurance and fleet management? There is increasing pressure for fleet managers today, which means that finding the best fleet insurance deal plus being versatile in a changing market are vital.

You will more than likely be doing a juggling act of cost cutting with ongoing reviews of company car policies thrown in with environmental issues regarding your fleet. You need also to be on top of the health and safety implications as well as your cost efficiency while reviewing and tweaking your motor fleet insurance and management.

In 2009 some surveys have shown that 30% of companies are undergoing thorough reviews of their company car policies. The evidence is that many companies are trying to achieve the balance between the cost issues, environment and health and safety issues. As companies analyse there are increasing requirements to find cost effective motor fleet insurance policies and at times these need to be combined fleet insurance policies.

Firstly considering the health and safety issues, it is good to be aware that a fair number of employers have now come to the conclusion that their drivers would be safer and more protected in company vehicles.

Also many of them are finishing with the cash allowance schemes and evidence shows that a lot of organisations have been encouraged by new legislation to re-assess the risks involved when employees use their own cars. The overall conclusion has been the company cars carry less risks.

Regarding both costs and the environment, there is analysis regarding fuel usage and the choice of funding options. Hand in hand with this is that many fleets are putting a cap on CO2 emissions with a lot more in the process of starting to do so. There are incentives to encourage the adoption of hybrid cars with lower emissions.

Other companies are providing diesel only vehicles. In general as part of fleet management there is an increased commitment to monitoring CO2 emissions.

The good news is that as you are re-evaluating and aiming to go greener the insurance companies should not penalise you for this. The types of expectations to have from your motor fleet insurance policy are a choice of cover types or if you need it a combination of cover types.

• Third Party Only Cover
• Third Party, Fire & Theft Cover
• Comprehensive Cover¡

You may also wish to consider including:

• Windscreen Cover
• Third Party Damage Cover

Some other aspects which a good fleet insurance provider may also recommend to you are:

• Detached Trailer Cover
• Hazardous Goods Insurance
• Medical Expenses Cover
• 24 hour claims assistance
• Uninsured Loss Recovery
• Breakdown & Recovery Assistance
• Personal Effects Cover
• Replacement Vehicle Cover

For the moment the patterns to go greener with fleets are more notable throughout larger companies. However between legalities and genuine concern for our environment this is trickling down throughout companies of all sizes. Current statistics of 2009 state that if an organisation has over 10,000 staff these were the ones that had drafted their policy with the environment in mind whereas companies of 250 staff or less results show that only 40% of these are dealing with the green issues.

Even though it does cause extra work there are long term positive cost implications to be had as well as the environmental benefits. The trick is to find the balance between the necessary costs such as car fleet insurance with the environmental changes, to drive forward your fleet management successfully and cost effectively.

This system, which is expected to be available in the UK by the end of 2009, includes a device that encloses the ignition key. To turn the engine on the driver must either slide the key out or push a button to release. It then sends a signal to the driver’s phone, placing it in ‘driving mode’ and displaying a ‘stop’ sign on the display screen.

While in driving mode users can only make emergency calls and incoming calls and texts are automatically answered with a message saying: “I am driving now. I will call you later when I arrive at the destination safely.

When the engine is turned off, the driver slides the key back into the device, which sends a ‘car stopped’ signal to the phone, returning it to normal.

The university wouldn’t name names, but it said it had held initial talks with “some” vehicle manufacturers. It also envisaged receiving the backing of the insurance industry so data on phone use or non-use could be compiled into a ‘safety score’ and sent monthly to insurance companies, which would then provide discounts to motorists with good scores. The score could also include data recorded via GPS on an individual’s driving style.

No decision had been taken regarding cost, but it was expected to be in the region of £50 per key, which would include reporting services for the first year, with the possibility it could be licensed to mobile phone network providers.

How to manage your mobile phone policy:

• Lead by example by not making calls to employees when they are likely to be driving.
• Make drivers plan journeys with breaks during which they can make and take calls.
• Communicate the phone policy throughout the company to cover all staff.
• Drivers should switch off their phones while driving, and only access messages when they are safely parked.
• Drivers should change their mobile phone’s voicemail to explain they could be driving and will respond when they are parked.
• If you call a mobile, always ask if the other person is driving and, if so, ring back when it is safe to do so.
• Warn drivers that in the event of a serious crash, the police will access mobile phone records.
• Ignoring company policy in the event of an accident puts the driver at risk of prosecution but the company may also be at risk if the policy is not adequately communicated or managed.

Rob Gray

Looking for shop insurance? A simple format offers a basic core cover, and a range of optional extras enables customers to create a policy specifically tailored to their business needs.

Core Covers

Property Damage

This can be on a Specified Contingencies basis or All Risks

Typical extensions include temporary removal of goods up to 15% of the sum insured
Season stock increases (to take into account busy trading periods)
Glass cover
Cover can also be extended to include terrorism and subsidence/heave/landslip.

Money and assault

Limit can vary slightly but normal limits as follow:
Money from premises during business hours £3000
Money whilst in transit £3000
From a locked safe £1500
Cover is also provided whilst at employees premises and after business hows not in locked safe.
Bodily injury following assault whilst carrying money is also covered up to minimal limits

Goods in transit

Covers owns goods in transit using own vehicles (such as from suppliers or delivering goods to customers) Limit usually in the region of £2500 per carrying.

Business Interruption

Covers interruption to the business following an insured loss under the Property Damage section of the policy.
Typical extensions under this section would include accidental failure of utilities (gas, water and electric – but a time franchise will apply)
Damage at suppliers premises
Prevention of access
Loss of book debts – loss of business records destroyed or damaged due to an insured event.

Employers Liability

Protection against your legal liability for bodily injury to your employees up to a limit of £10,000,000, including legal costs and expenses in defending prosecutions under relevant health and safety legislation.

Public and Products Liability

Protection against your legal liability for bodily injury to third parties and damage to their property. Limit of indemnity normally £2,000,000 but higher limit of £5,000,000 can be obtained. Cover including legal costs and expenses in defending prosecutions under relevant health and safety legislation.
Typical extensions include cover for employees and visitors personal effects and with regards to hairdressing/beauty salons professional treatment can be included.

Legal Protection

Protection for legal costs and expenses arising from civil and criminal incidents in connection with the business:

Most include legal expenses to cater for the following:

Employment disputes and compensation awards
Tax advice/protection
Contract disputes
Legal defense

Optional Covers

Employee Dishonesty
Frozen/refrigerated food
Loss of license

I have just received a response from my Client’s insurers.

1. They have confirmed that the expiration of a photocard licence would not invalidate the insurance cover, provided the driver holds or has held a licence to drive and is not disqualified from holding or obtaining such a licence. This or similar wording will appear on the Certificate of Motor Insurance.

   Rob Gray

For the difinitive answer you must call your Insurance Broker but generally there will only be two answers.

Fleet Insurance Policies will normally apply the excess to Accidental Damage, Fire, Theft and Windscreen Claims. Therefore if your excess is £250.00 so will your windscreen excess be. In addition if you have higher excesses for young drivers or higher rated vehicles this will in addition to the usual policy excess.

The windscreen claim will also go onto your Fleet Claims Experience.

However some Fleet Insurance policies will apply a lower excess for windscreen claims of just £60.00 and some policies will repair your glass for free with no excess.

Confused? Insurance is good like that.

Pick up the telephone to us and we will explain what your policy covers, if you have never dealt with us we can assure you that when we offer you your Fleet Insurance quotation these finer details will be made clear to you and not just contained in a letter.

Cover4.