VW & HUTC look to 2013 to implement cost-saving measures

Here at cheapvaninsurance.co.uk, we’re all for saving both commercial and domestic van users money on their van insurance. Our comparison facility offers a gateway to some of the best cover providers in the UK van insurance market, based on searches that I, as merely the writer of the news bulletins, lose interest in as soon as they say algorith…
…see, lost it already.
But what does make me sit up and take note is when one of the big boys makes an announcement about saving UK van drivers money. Especially with measures that not only are cost effective in the long term, but can also lead to improvements in the efficiency of anyone’s business.
If that means the guys who bring my wages around in a transit every Friday get here a little swifter (yeah, right?!?!), then great – I’m all for that.
However, the sort of white paper Volkswagen have just released bears no picture of the queen, and is certainly not heading my way.
Indirectly, the announcement has little to do with cheaper van insurance, per se, but that actuality could be achieved if the stepping stones thar Alastair Hemmings mentions in his report are followed. As Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK national fleet manager, he must know a thing or two on the subject.
From his position, he can see the opportunities businesses of all sizes are missing out on with the technology currently being built into the vans and technology off-site that can integrate fleet management into your business seamlessly. The intellect that goes into some of these projects, collectively known in the trade as telematics (integration of technology and data, to you and I) presents business owners alternative ways of cutting costs, other than looking at operating procedures, shopping for lower fuel deals and comparing the market for very cheap van insurance, every now and again.
To be fair to the consumer, when addressing the white paper the information can be said to be biased towards VW, but you have to take that as read. But owners of commercial vehicles of every make and model can truly benefit from advanced technology that seems to be moving forward in leaps and bounds every week, not like in years gone by when we had to wait for the motor show to see how the market was going to live with the change in the seat-belt law, or other such headliners of the day.
Moving forward, VW would like to see UK Van drivers, of which there are 3,000,000 registered, “utilise fleets more effectively and…implement simple measures to cut operating and whole-life costs.”
Combine this strategy with the announcement from Volkswagen US on the same matter, “the companies [they and HUTC, telematics partner, 2013 onwards] will bring to market a suite of connected services for safety and security, convenience, and diagnostics, while offering drivers a new level of service and accessibility.” and you can see that automotive manufacturers still are not convinced that the global recession is in decline.
When the big boys are going out of their way to help their global customer base, existing and targetted, cut costs to this extent, you just get the feeling that the worst is yet to come…
…the upshot is, though, that if safety is being taken to the next level, it should have a positive effect on your van insurance renewal premium; from 2013, onwards, of course.