On The Road

Whilst we may not be travelling to work in Jetsons-style flying cars anytime soon, vehicle technology is developing at an increasingly rapid rate and, as a result, business transport is set to change dramatically over the coming years. Indeed, this transformation has already started and we believe firms of all sizes, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), must keep a close eye on future developments to ensure they don’t get left behind. Autonomous vehicles…

Fleetdatasolutions.com can help reduce the amount of time spent researching for fleet and trucking statistics to prepare for business development, financial analysis, marketing outreach, and sales calls. Using our nationwide fleet data to size up the industry and identify your target market potential, Fleetdatasolutions.com can uncover aggregated details about fleet businesses.  Searching the Internet won’t bring home the accurate fleet data that you need to be competitive. Managing a large corporate fleet can be extremely complicated; the various factors involved…

There is a growing debate about whether the Government should introduce a ‘blanket ban’ on the use of mobile phones in a vehicle – even if they are ‘hands-free’. In March this year, the penalty for using a mobile phone behind the wheel increased to six points and a fine, though it is still legal to use hands-free kits, which allow motorists to take calls without actually having to touch their phone. Road safety campaigners…

Deutsche Post DHL Group and Ford presented the first of their jointly produced electric delivery vans – or e-van – today in Cologne, Germany. The vehicle, called the StreetScooter WORK XL, is based on a Ford Transit chassis fitted with a battery-electric drivetrain and a body designed and built to Deutsche Post DHL specifications. In 2017, around 150 early build e-vans will be manufactured in the StreetScooter plant in Aachen, Germany. Deutsche Post DHL will…

Ford today revealed the new Transit Custom one-tonne commercial vehicle, delivering bold new design, an all-new interior and enhanced productivity to European businesses. Available to order later this year, new Transit Custom is scheduled for customer delivery in early 2018. Powered by the game-changing Ford EcoBlue 2.0-litre diesel engine, Transit Custom has been re-engineered to offer significant new features and capabilities including a new ECOnetic van variant delivering improved fuel efficiency and 148 g/km CO2…

A legal expert has warned motorists of the serious repercussions of continuing to drive with failing eyesight after a partially sighted driver was jailed for seven years for killing a motorcyclist. The case of Nigel Sweeting, who killed motorcyclist David Evans in a hit-and-run incident on Christmas Day 2015, has sparked calls for a change in the law so that all medical professionals, not just doctors, face disciplinary action if they fail to raise concerns….

  The case of the driver who clocked up 62 points on his licence and was still allowed to drive has been attracting a huge amount of attention recently. While this particular case is certainly at the extreme end of the spectrum, instances where individuals are permitted to drive with more than 12 penalty points are not as rare as some might expect. In theory, a driver could still be permitted to drive with any…

The recently launched all-new Peugeot Expert has been awarded the ‘Light Commercial Vehicle of the Year’* accolade and ‘Medium Van of the Year’* at the 2017 What Van? Awards. The panel of judges at What Van?, made up with individuals from a wide spectrum of experience and expertise in this market, were convinced that the all-new Expert van was “an outstanding new van having launched to the market this year”, adding that the new Peugeot…

A dedicated vehicle conversion company has transformed Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Caddy and Crafter models into specialist refrigeration units. TBC Conversions has created refrigerated compartments for the Caddy and Crafter vans using rigid panels, with units moulded to the body shape of the vehicle in order to maximise storage space. The converted models made their debut at the Commercial Vehicle Show in April this year and proved to be hugely popular. To accommodate customer needs, they…

Minor road collisions are costing HGV fleets many thousands of pounds because of the difficulty of proving liability and the high risk of fake personal injury claims. Video footage recorded by Intelligent Telematics’ IT1000 3G vehicle camera highlighted the difficulties faced by road transport operators recently when it captured the moment a car clips an HGV operated by retailer Poundworld on the M60 near Prestwich, Greater Manchester. Such incidents are occurring across the UK, often…