All the key news in fleet…

According to Meridian’s Phil Jerome, the new VED regime has created too many anomalies when it comes to low emissions.

Rethink VED changes to encourage low CO2 fleet take-up, government urged

The re-elected government should revisit the Vehicle Excise Duty changes made in the last Budget to encourage fleets take-up of low CO2 vehicles, according to Meridian.

Managing director Phil Jerome said: “There is something awry with a system that means, on an annual basis after the first year, the driver of a 1.0 Fiesta pays the same VED as the person behind the wheel of a 5.0 Mustang.

“Also, VED now penalises all drivers of cars over £40,000 quite substantially, whatever their car. You could run a Tesla Model S with 0g/km and pay nothing in the first year but £310 thereafter because it has a high list price, which seems very odd.”

Jerome added: “It is a little bit of a mystery why the old banded VED system wasn’t operated on the same basis as company car Benefit In Kind taxation, with a gradual increase in payments at each level over time. That approach would make perfect sense.

“The only advantage of the new system is that it is simple. But it simply doesn’t make much sense and it would be good to see the Government revisit it at the autumn Budget.”

Thibault Alleyn, director of fleet and mobility consultancy, heads up the consultancy business at TÜV SÜD.

TÜV SÜD Group reorganises fleet consultancy division

TÜV SÜD Group has reorganised its fleet consultancy division by amalgamating the legal entities behind the TCOPlus and FleetVision brands into the Fleet Logistics Group.

The company said the move, effective as of 31 July, sees both the TCOPlus and FleetVision brands continue to exist within the new business line, along with associated tools such as GreenCube and FleetCube, but without separate legal entities, leading to improvements in time to market and innovation competence.

The resultant consultancy business line is headed by director of fleet and mobility consultancy, Thibault Alleyn, and will remain operationally separate from the outsourced fleet management services that Fleet Logistics provides.

CEO Dr Jörg Löffler said: “We are convinced that this new structure is the best option to take the business forward.”

The Highways maintenance challenge fund map sets out where the £75m is being allocated.

Road improvements get go-ahead

The Government has announced the winners of the 2017 to 2018 highways maintenance challenge fund, which sees councils across England awarded a share of £75m government funding for road improvement schemes that will cut congestion.

Part of the recently announced £6.1bn programme of road improvements in England, the challenge funding has been awarded to 19 winning projects across the country, which include junction improvements, repairs and resurfacing, flood resilience measures, bridge and viaduct refurbishment, and improved drainage. Most of the schemes will be delivered within the next 12 months.

The announcement comes as Highways England publishes its Delivery Plan Update, which sets out work completed to date and currently underway as well as details of major schemes planned to start in 2017/18, including smart motorways between junctions three and five on the M20 near Maidstone, and on the M6 around Coventry.

Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V.’s drivers have the option to use TMC’s Mileage Track App to log business journeys ‘live’ via GPS.

Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. on track for fleet fuel savings with TMC

Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V has contracted TMC to handle mileage audit and fuel cost management for its UK fleet of 270 company cars.

The company, which manufactures cooling and heating products, is also providing drivers with TMC’s integrated fuel card service, which can be used at virtually any retail petrol site in the UK.

The deal sees drivers given the option to use TMC’s Mileage Track App to log business journeys ‘live’ via GPS, with trip reports also captured via PCs and other devices. Reports are electronically audited, and any anomalies are followed by TMC’s customer service team where required.

The company is expecting to see cost savings as a result of more accurate data capture from its drivers while TMCs emissions reporting, which distinguishes between business and private mileage CO2 will help the company comply with its ISO 14001 accreditation.

JCT600 VLS MD Paul Walters said the company’s ULEV-orientated fleet policy ensures it’s up to speed with the technology.

JCT600 VLS awarded Go Ultra Low status

JCT600 Vehicle Leasing Solutions (VLS) has been awarded Go Ultra Low company status in recognition of its promotion and use of Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) within its own company car fleet.

The leasing and fleet management firm now includes hybrid or fully electric options for all its own company car drivers – conventional diesel or petrol vehicle are only allowed on a strictly exceptional business need basis. The company is also looking at ensuring its whole fleet is fully ULEV or electric by 2019.

Managing director Paul Walters, who has already switched to a BMW 530e, said: “ULEVs are the future. We have had several customers approach us in the wake of the Government’s announcement about the banning of diesel or petrol-only powered cars by 2040. In order to be able to give them the best advice, we have to ensure that we are up to speed and using the technology ourselves.”

The speed restrictions have now been removed from the new M3 smart motorway.

M3 smart motorway now fully operational

Highways England has confirmed that the smart motorway section of the M3 in Surrey is now fully operational.

Although the smart motorway section had gone live last month using a fourth traffic lane on a 13.4-mile stretch between Farnborough and the M25, Highways England had kept a 50mph speed limit in place while tests continued on the smart motorway technology, which can detect incidents and actively manage traffic.

The restrictions have now been removed and all four lanes are open at 70mph.

Bristan says its deal with Pendragon Vehicle Management has streamlined its fleet operations and enhanced efficiencies.

Bristan streamlines fleet under Pendragon

Bristan has reported enhanced efficiencies after contracting Pendragon Vehicle Management (PVM) for a number of different fleet services.

Bristan, which supplies showers, taps and bathroom accessories, runs a mixed fleet of 73 cars and commercial vans, and previously used a total of 27 different suppliers, including for accident management, licence checking and online driver training.

Since partnering with Pendragon Vehicle Management in 2015 on areas including maintenance, accident management and risk management, Bristan says it’s seen a significant reduction in the amount of time taken to run the fleet while also benefiting from Pendragon PLC’s purchasing power.