Tag: Royal mail van

Holiday Hazards: Why Dogs Are a Real Threat to Delivery Drivers

Posted on by News Desk

The Hidden Hazards Delivery Drivers Face During The Holidays

It’s a story as old as time:

The family dog charges at an unsuspecting postman.

When we think of dogs and Christmas, this probably isn’t the first image that comes to mind.

More often, people say, “Dogs aren’t just for Christmas.”

But for delivery drivers, the holiday season can bring a different kind of worry.

Why Dogs Pose A Unique Threat To Delivery Drivers

No matter how cute or friendly a dog might appear, their instincts can still take you by surprise.

For certain dogs, the sight of a delivery driver’s fingers slipping through the letterbox quickly registers as an unwelcome intrusion.

In fact, just recently, we stumbled upon the story of a Scotsman who has learned this lesson firsthand.

Real Stories: When Friendly Fidos Turn Fierce

Glen Morgan, a veteran delivery driver for Hermes, has had his share of run-ins with canines.

In his eight years on the job, he’s been attacked four times.

His first encounter was especially severe—requiring stitches and a tetanus shot.

A Neighborhood Hazard That’s Hard To Avoid

Most delivery drivers know which homes in their neighborhood have aggressive dogs.

But here’s the thing:

In most cases, there’s very little a driver can do aside from hoping that the owners will keep their pets secured and out of reach.

Not exactly what you’d want on your Christmas wish list, is it?

The Unexpected Danger Of Surprise Attacks

And then, there are the sneak attacks.

Unpredictable and startling, these can be the most nerve-wracking of all.

For many, non-contact delivery during the pandemic brought a sense of relief.

According to Royal Mail, dog attacks on their delivery staff dropped by 31% with non-contact delivery.

Staying Safe: Resources And Advice For Drivers

Royal Mail has a helpful resource—the “Dog Awareness” page—for posties looking to stay safe.

Here, you’ll find:

  • Tips for drivers on handling dog encounters
  • Advice for dog owners to prevent incidents
  • Case studies like Glen Morgan’s

You can even see which areas in the UK are the worst for dog attacks on delivery drivers.

A Final Word Of Caution For The Holiday Season

As the Christmas rush ramps up, delivery drivers work harder than ever.

The moral of the story?

Be cautious and aware of your surroundings—especially when dogs are nearby.

One last tip:

Don’t let your van insurance renewal ruin Christmas, either.

We’ll leave you with a helpful tip.

Don’t let your van insurance renewal ruin Christmas either. Get it out of the way and check out our cheap van insurance deals. It takes just 3 minutes.

There’s Another Battle: Now It’s Royal Mail Versus Amazon.

Posted on by News Desk

Perhaps not quite the battle of the century like motorists versus e-scooters. but this one’s still worth mentioning. 

Especially if you’re a delivery driver. Except, we guess it’s not really a war. To put it simply, Royal Mail is making an attempt to win customers over from Amazon by introducing a new scheme offering timed delivery slots.

You might be one of the customers who choose to shop with Amazon due to their brilliant delivery options. Same-day delivery? Yes, please! Perhaps you’re one of the van drivers who end up darting about all over the place, in an attempt to get the deliveries in on time.

Now, if you’re working for Royal Mail, you may find yourself racing against time, just like Amazon drivers.

Customers will be offered a choice from a 3-tier system:

  • You have your bottom tier: this is where Royal Mail get to decide when to deliver your parcel
  • There’s got to be a middle tier: the customer will pick a delivery day, along with where the parcel should be left
  • And of course, the equivalent to Tesco’s Finest. You have the top tier: the customer gets to pick the day PLUS a delivery time

Better slap your seatbelts on, because we anticipate this will be a popular scheme for Brits. Of course, we can’t know for certain what the pricing costs will be like just yet. This will also inevitably depend on the size of the parcel, and/or how many have been ordered. Just like Amazon, it’s safe to assume a top-tier delivery option will result in a higher cost. 

Will customers be willing to switch? 

A recent survey from a popular newspaper saw results that suggested that consumers had more trust in Amazon deliveries than that of Royal Mail. On-time deliveries are naturally important to customers, and it seems Royal Mail doesn’t seem to have a good track record. 

With the significant increase in e-commerce sales due to Covid-19, many delivery companies have found themselves hiring more and more van drivers. Were you one of them? How do you feel about these additional delivery options? Perhaps they make no difference to you at all, or maybe you’re sick of racing from house to house. 

Until the new tiers launch, we can’t be sure. What we are sure of is cheap van insurance. See just how cheap we’re talking by simply filling out the form right here.

Royal Mail Have 290 Of These “Strange” Vans

Posted on by News Desk

You look out the window and see the Royal Mail van pull up. Out jumps a postie in shorts, but something doesn’t quite seem right.

“That van looks and sounds a bit strange,” you say to yourself.

You go out the front door for a closer look, but still can’t put your finger on what “is different.”

“Hey Postie. Come here,” you shout, as the faithful postie runs around posting letters like a schoolboy in shorts.

“Hello sir, what can I help you with today?” says the postie.

“That van…What…is it…that…makes…it…different?” You ask, slightly puzzled.

“Why sir, the van you are referring to is…

An Electric Van!!” answers the postie.

“Ah it was one of those electric gizmos, is it? Flash in the pan if you ask me,” you say before turning around to walk back in the house.

“Just wait until they replace me with a robot,” the postie answers, before continuing with his round.

Do you know what though? This isn’t just a flash in the pan oh faithful readers of the CVI blog. Electric vans are here to stay and you will be seeing more and more electric Royal Mail vans over the coming years, oh dear readers.

That’s right. The Royal Mail have just taken delivery of 190 brand spanking new electric vans. All sparkling and with that new van smell inside.

This adds to the 100 electric vans they already have, giving them a grand total of 290 electric Royal Mail vans. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

Pretty soon all Royal Mail Vans will be electric. You will see them cruising about the roads of our nation and pulling up outside your house.

And just like the postie in shorts predicted…it will soon be robots jumping out of the back of these electric vans and walking confidently towards your front door.

Knock Knock.

You Answer The Door.

“John Connor?” says the robot

“Yes,” you reply.

“I have a parcel for you,” the robot says while handing you the parcel and then doing a 180 and heading back to the self driving electric Royal Mail van.

“Thank you Mr Robot,” You shout as the robot walks off…”And I like your shorts!” You go on to add.

This oh faithful readers of the CVI blog is the future, you can be sure of that. Where everything is different, but still familiar.

Just like the CVI web site itself. We will always be familiar, but at some point we will have to change, just like the world around us.

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