Heavy Goods Vehicles making more trips to Europe

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HGV leaving for Europe

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Figures recorded for the amount of HGVs leaving the UK and entering Europe has risen since last year according to the Department of Transport. They released figures which showed that just over 20% of HGVs that left the UK were UK Registered. The number has risen since last year, ever since the mid 1990s the amount of Foreign registered HGVs has risen each year from around half a million in 1996 to now nearly 1.5 million in 2011. The majority of HGVs leaving the UK were Polish whilst the least amount of HGVs leaving were registered from France.

If you have a single HGV or a fleet of HGVs and require a HGV Insurance quote then visit Broadsure Direct to get a HGV Insurance quote online.

solar panel charging stations in car parks?

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This year the number and variety of electric cars being produced has gone up significantly, which begs the question how are the cars going to be kept charged?

solar panels for cars

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There is the possibility of including charging points into the petrol stations, however there are talks of a new solar panel technology being used to charge the cars.

The idea is that the solar panels will be fitted in the car parks of companies, supermarkets, even large public car parks which will charge the cars whilst the owner can go about their duties. These solar panels could be fitted into a curved shape which acts as a canopy over the car parking space. The amount of energy that could be harnessed through these panels would charge a car for thousands of miles over the course of a year. As well as using the solar panel technology, charging points could be included into each space so the car can just be plugged in whilst the owner leaves the car to be charged.

The idea of including these in company car parks could be an attraction to consumers. With the potential of more sales of vehicles being done online in the next few years, solar technology could end up bringing people out of their homes and down to the dealerships to view the cars if everywhere the vehicle owner goes, they can keep their car ‘charged up’. If you have bought a car recently and require a car insurance quote then you can get a quote from Broadsure Direct.

Do you buy and sell cars? Are you a Motor Trader? If you require a motor trade insurance quote for your business, visit Broadsure Direct for a quotation.

local authorities forced to share speed camera info

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speed cameras

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Local authorities were given till 20th July to publish their speed camera information. This included, locations, accidents and casualty rates and the speeds before and after the speed cameras were implemented. So far just over half of local authorities have provided this information with the rest planning on having this information ready in the next few weeks. The local Police forces also have to provide information such as the amount of prosecutions and the number of people having gone on a speed awareness course as a result of being caught.

With the information published, local residents can find out how effective the cameras are and whether they are actually reducing accident rates. In some areas, removing the speed cameras could cost up to £400,000. To remove the cameras, fixings and signs from roughly 20 different locations can cost around £25,000 alone. Speed cameras cost British motorists millions of pounds a year, not only with the fines involved but also the rise in car insurance premiums each year.

If you are looking for a car insurance or buy and sell cars and require a motor trade quote, fill out our motor trade insurance quote form online.

What is Motor Trade Insurance? Part 3

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comprehensive motor trade insurance

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In Part 3 of What is Motor Trade Insurance? We are going to discuss the final levels of cover you can get with a Motor Trade Policy.

Firstly, after Third Part Fire and Theft which we discussed in the What is Motor Trade Insurance? Part 2 article, you have Comprehensive Insurance. This covers you (the motor trader) for accidental damages to any of the vehicles connected with the motor trade. As well as this you are covered for everything mentioned in the Third Party Fire and Theft cover.

The final level of cover we are going to discuss is a Combined Policy. This level of Motor Trade Insurance covers your vehicles, premises, liabilities, tools, money and contents. It is designed to cover and protect the entire business.

It is important when picking a level of cover for your motor trade business that you get a policy which meets your requirements. If you would like a Motor Trade Insurance Policy and require a quote, speak to Broadsure Direct and we can advise you further, call us on 0845 658 6587.

What is Motor Trade Insurance? – Part 2

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Part 2 in our What is Motor Trade Insurance? series looks at Third Party, Fire and Theft policies. In the last post we looked at Third Party Only Motor Trade motor trade insurance theft policyInsurance and what is covered with TPO policies. With Third Party, Fire and Theft motor trade cover, you are covered for everything in a Third Party Only Motor Trade Policy, including the following:

  • fire damage to any vehicles connected to the motor trader.
  • cover for theft of vehicles connected to the motor trader.

In Part 3 we will look into Comprehensive cover in Motor Trade Insurance.

What is Motor Trade Insurance? Part 1 – Third Party Only

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A Motor Trader is someone that makes a living buying and selling cars. A Motor Trade Insurance Policy is designed to cover the person in the event of a fire, theft or accidental damages.

When a motor trader applies for a motor trade insurance quote, it is important they get a policy that meets their requirements and fits within their budget. When applying for a motor trade insurance policy you can chose from 3 different levels of cover.

Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

TPO – Third Party Only (also known as Third Party Road Risks Policy)

TPO policies are required by law if the motor trader wishes to

  • drive their own or customers cars on the public highway
  • repairs the vehicles
  • buy and sells cars for a profit
  • works as a fitter or valeter or as a mobile tuner
  • runs a MOT station/garage

Third Party Only motor trade policies only cover the third party in the event of an accident, property damage or death caused by any of the vehicles connected to the trader.

Coming up in Part 2 – Third Party, Fire and Theft Policies in the Motor Trade.

 

truck drivers – know your CPC requirements!

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No we are not talking about Cost Per Click requirements in regards to Google, we are in fact talking about the Certificate of Professional Competence for Truck Drivers. The government introduced this requirement from September 2009 but it seems that its possible there are still thousands of lorry drivers still out there which have not taken the level of training required.

There are situations where a CPC is not required for example, if you are driving a vehicle for personal use rather than non-commercial carriage of passenders or goods or if the truck/lorry is being road tested after a repair. There are other instances where a CPC is not required but in most cases of commercial use of a LGV (large goods vehicle), the driver will require a CPC.

In order to keep the CPC, the driver must have 35 hours of training under their belt every 5 years. A driver could satisfy this requirement by undertaking 7 hours of training each year. If you are a truck driver and need truck insurance or hgv insurance then you can get a HGV Insurance Quote from our website. The process of getting a quote is easy, just fill out our online form and one of our HGV Specialists will contact you with a quotation. If you prefer to speak directly to our team then you can contact Broadsure Direct on 0845 658 6587.

Construction and Project Insurance?

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The construction industry took a big blow when the recession hit and naturally this impacted Insurers and Brokers. With another insurer pulling out of the market, this time Paladin, it’s clear that pressure is on Insurers.

What isn’t helping the industry is the government taking money from larger projects such as selling off land for the housing markets, to concentrate on small projects where it has to. For example, after the harsh winter’s many roads have needed repairing and although this is necessary, it does hold back the growth in the industry.

The industry that does seem to be taking off and having money thrown at it is on the commercial side, office blocks, for example. In fact, the growth of commercial projects has increased over the past year and this has led to a growth in the commercial insurance sector. A new government initiative could be introduced call Integrated Project Insurance (IPI) which would be for large government construction contracts. A number of insurer’s have reportedly said they support the idea, it has been designed to stop problems with using different insurers with supply chains. The pilot for this is set to commence in Spring 2012.

 

Electric cars move closer to release date

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The company Think City who have developed the electric car that can run for 100 miles on one single charge has got the go ahead to start selling the new vehicle in Switzerland. European production has already begun and there are even talks with Asian manufacturers to push the car out there, this could be a big boost to the vehicles popularity as countries such as China are now becoming the country with the most vehicles on the road.

The same is happening with the USA so expect the Think City car to be hitting UK soil very soon, useful for big cities but I wonder about the cars appeal to smaller towns and villages, especially here in the UK.

Parents aware of illegal fronting

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In our last post, we talked about the idea of “fronting” and younger drivers being a named driver on their insurance policy and their parent as the main driver, even though the younger driver is in fact the main driver of the vehicle. This of course is illegal and according to research carried out recently, 40% of parents involved in fronting incidents, know that it is illegal. More shockingly though is that 60% of parents would do the action again.

It is possible to get cheaper insurance for young drivers but it will naturally be higher at first but as the years of no claims build, their insurance premium will get lower. The worst case scenario for being caught fronting is prosecution and fraud.

Need insurance or a motor trader? Get motor trade insurance from Broadsure Direct.