Widely-reported government plans to double MOT test intervals to two years are “irresponsible” at a point in time when fleets are lengthening replacement cycles, believes FleetCheck. Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet management software, points out that company cars and vans often cover 20-30,000 miles in a year and the MOT test acts as a valuable backstop to ensure maintenance … [Read more...]
Bridgestone planning entry into EV charging
Tyre giant Bridgestone will enter the UK EV charging network in the near future. Bridgestone is adding more weight to claims that UK motorists are accelerating away from internal combustion engines, with further research suggesting that an electric vehicle revolution is rapidly approaching - due in part to soaring fuel bills. As recent statistics revealed that more EVs were purchased in March … [Read more...]
Plan and save on van costs
Taking a proactive stance on van maintenance measures can save fleets valuable downtime, according to ATS Euromaster. The tyre service and maintenance provider says fleets are placing vehicles under critical stress as assets are virtually in constant use. Known as ‘double-shifting’, fleets are using one van for two driver shifts in order to meet the increasing demand for home delivery that has … [Read more...]
Motorists are in the PITs, says Kwik Fit
The annual PIT Report or Pothole Impact Tracker for Kwik Fit, shows that over the last twelve months the total cost of pothole damage to British drivers has risen to a staggering £1.7 billion. This figure is a 35% increase on the previous year of £1.2bn, a rise which could be partly explained by the higher traffic volumes in the last twelve months than in the year to March 2021 – the … [Read more...]
Newslines 15 March
The average price of petrol appears to be on a collision course with £1.65 a litre having reached a new record of 163.46 p on Sunday, up by 2.5p from Thursday. Diesel hit another record high on Saturday at 173.67p, up 3.5p from two days earlier, said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams, who added that drivers should soon get some respite from pump prices jumping by several pence a litre every day … [Read more...]
Fleet budgets challenged as hires are extended
Service, maintenance and repair budgets are being severely challenged as fleets are forced to run vehicles for longer, with no end in sight to the immediate lack of vehicle availability due to the semiconductor crisis. According to tyre and maintenance provider ATS Euromaster, both fleets and leasing companies are having to juggle new car availability against extended rentals and increased … [Read more...]
Newslines 25 February
The number of fatalities in road accidents where the driver was over the drink drive limit slightly decreased in 2020 to 220 - down from 230 the previous year, said AlcoSense. Provisional from the Department for Transport estimate a total of 6,480 people were killed or injured in drink drive accidents, compared with 7,800 the year before and one in 20 of all reported crashes involved a drunk … [Read more...]
Motorway safety and speeders in Wales
New research reveals that an increasing number of drivers are taking their own precautionary measures when using smart stretches that are already in operation. It comes after the government last month announced a five year pause in the introduction of new smart motorways to assess their safety. A new study for Kwik Fit, the UK’s largest automotive servicing and repair company, has found that 73% … [Read more...]
Tradelines 2 February
Volvo retailers will provide a free puncture or windscreen chip repair on Volvo cars of any age, helping to get owners safely back on the road again as soon as possible. The process is simple, convenient and comes with the peace of mind of work carried out by qualified Volvo technicians as owners can take their car to any UK Volvo retailer, where the damage will be checked to determine whether a … [Read more...]
Newslines 14 January
The RAC’s patrols attended over 10,000 pothole-related breakdowns last year – the equivalent of 27 every single day and the highest annual total since 2018, new figures show. The breakdown company’s individual members experienced a total of 10,123 breakdowns for broken suspension springs, distorted wheels and damaged shock absorbers through last year, 10% more than in 2019 (9,198) and 19% more … [Read more...]