Category : Comment
Back in contention
Peugeot has sought to reinvent itself in recent years. Once a major volume player, up there behind Ford and Vauxhall, and one of the biggest fleet … Read More »
Paper trail
I’ve been awaiting with interest the outcome of the debate on whether to scrap the paper motor insurance certificate. Of course, we are now sticking with … Read More »
Let battle commence
There’s long been an unwritten rule adhered to by the bosses of the UK’s two biggest car sellers that they don’t acknowledge each other’s brand … Read More »
No fare alternative
How will we ever persuade employees out of their cars and onto public transport? I’m thinking ahead to a time when workplace parking prevents us from … Read More »
Hyundai gets emotional
Hyundai has been chipping away at the company car market for more than 20 years but now has the product line-up and commitment to finally present … Read More »
Surveying the horizon
Ever wondered which car dealers are happy to represent the brand displayed over their door and whose teams start every day with a spring in … Read More »
Salary isn’t being sacrificed
Salary sacrifice is back in the news again with its devotees saying business is on the up, and the sceptics suggesting it still isn’t as … Read More »
On the road: Tipping the limit
If, like me, you have been led by sundry children’s motoring programmes to believe that, when it comes to practicality, flexibility and all-round indestructibility, the Toyota … Read More »
Talk the talk
Carmakers like to talk the talk when it comes to how they deliver customer satisfaction to fleets. I’ve lost count of the number of car … Read More »
A hard habit to break
It’s probably 20 years ago that a colleague passed the comment that someone was leaving the company and she wondered if he would take his pot … Read More »
Total recall
Following my comment in last month’s column about VOSA’s lack of interest in pursuing a handbrake recall, I subsequently saw the Which? press release which noted … Read More »
Reputation management
The recent scandal where horse meat was being passed off as more palatable fare drew unfortunate attention to several leading food retailers and their processes. But … Read More »
Taking a lead in Europe
UK fleet bosses may not know it but they have a distinct advantage over their European counterparts when it comes to using main dealers to source … Read More »
On the road: Aiding and abetting
It’s pretty much the norm now that, in an increasingly irascible attempt to assess honest mechanical engineering rather than sly, over-solicitous electronics, I spend a good … Read More »
What I’ve learnt
Employees People are the life blood of any organisation. It is people who make an organisation. They ultimately determine how successful an organisation will be through … Read More »
Maintaining focus…
There's a popular misconception that fleets only use main dealers for sourcing cars. When it comes to service and repair work they go to an independent … Read More »
The eyes don’t have it…
During the past 12 months we have seen one in three drivers fail the basic test of being able to read a number plate at 20 … Read More »
Reputation management
The recent scandal where horse meat was being passed off as more palatable fare drew unfortunate attention to several leading food retailers and their processes. But … Read More »
Volvo thinks locally
Volvo has decided it needs to get closer to small business and is using its dealer network and the Daily Telegraph to do so. As a … Read More »
Motoring seems to be increasingly erratic, The Insider reckons.
Use of a handheld mobile phone whilst driving will also attract an increased fine, now set at £90 rather than the previous £60. Illegal since 2007, … Read More »
Nissan’s electric shock
Every now and again carmakers launch a car they know will have legs in the fleet sector. Often it's the latest generation of a tried-and-tested favourite, … Read More »
Green’ish
Am I the only person increasingly confused by the conflicting views bandied about on reducing the environmental impact of our company cars? Let’s start with fuel. … Read More »
What I’ve learnt
Comment – What I’ve learnt On running a trade association I had worked for a BVRLA member for many years and thought I had a good … Read More »
On the road: Reaching the limit
My part of the world, Mudfordshire, has long been considered particularly pastoral. Hastily constructed from tweed, self-importance and indeterminate pieces of steam-powered Victorian engineering, the county … Read More »
Cenex puts a cost on carrying
It’s well known that carrying unnecessary weight in a vehicle increases its fuel consumption, but by how much has been debated for some time. At Cenex, … Read More »
Relationship management
The working relationship between dealers and manufacturers can run the gamut from good and bad through to downright ugly. While both sides know the way to … Read More »
Youth policy
Aged 17, I thought I knew everything. When I was 18, I knew I knew everything. The trouble with experience is that you don’t know you … Read More »
In a hole
I’ve just been reading a live traffic report that says: ‘One lane closed due to emergency repairs on the motorway, with traffic queuing over a distance … Read More »
A little less complication
Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Even in these straitened times car manufacturers can find themselves needlessly investing sizeable budgets into winning the hearts and … Read More »
What I’ve learnt
Mapping the journey In 17 years as a consultant in the fleet industry, I’ve seen a significant shift in the relationship between companies and their fleet … Read More »