Tag: tradespeople

Tradespeople On The Road: Locked Down, But Not Out

Posted on by News Desk

Essential Work For Tradespeople Or A Risk?

Demand for tradespeople has surged since the first lockdown ended.

British van drivers – many of you are still out on the road, despite lockdown.

Why?

But now, a debate has sparked: should the government allow this during a national lockdown?

SAGE Calls For Limits On Tradespeople Work

SAGE, the government advisory group, has a strong opinion.

They’ve urged officials to restrict to only “critical” work.

Or work that can’t be delayed due to health and safety.

Currently, most trades are still running – with a few changes.

Workers wear masks indoors and maintain social distance.

But, they face no limits on the type of jobs they take on.

The Unfairness Factor: Who’s Really Left Out?

And here’s a twist:

The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, an industry group, is speaking up.

Their message?

Stopping tradespeople would be unfair.

Did you know?

Approximately 1.5 million tradespeople, however, were excluded from financial support.

Some, for instance, were short-term contractors.

Others, meanwhile, worked on zero or low-hours contracts with limited companies.

In their situation, every job truly matters, and every pound absolutely counts.

Why Restrictions Could Be Devastating For Tradespeople

Imagine the government tells you that you can’t work, yet you still don’t qualify for support.

That’s the reality for many. And restrictions on trades could be disastrous.

Unlike office jobs, they can’t “work from home.” Their work is hands-on.

And let’s be honest:

The rules, however, feel confusing and inconsistent.

For instance, nurseries and churches allow large gatherings.

Yet, at the same time, tradespeople – who perform critical services – face restrictions.

Where’s the consistency?

Hope Ahead: Vaccines And Lower COVID Cases

Many trades include essential work, like heating, plumbing, or other vital services.

They’re often called to fix things that simply can’t wait.

And here’s to hoping:

With the rapid vaccination rollout, we might see an end in sight.

COVID cases are dropping. We’re moving forward.

For the tradespeople of the UK, let’s hope work can continue.

Maybe not “as usual,” but enough to keep their families fed and secure.

The Irish Example

Posted on by News Desk

Good news for Irish van drivers this week, with the launch of a scheme that we very much hope to see cross the Irish Channel and trickle into the British system.

If you are fortunate enough to be living and working in Ireland, you will no doubt have heard about the new grant scheme that has been launched to support tradespeople in this post-COVID economy.

Yes, over the water, they have launched a new Enterprise Support Grant, which offers tradespeople a grant of us to €1000 per sole trader who do not qualify for other government support. 

Welcomed by tradespeople over, there, the grant is helping take the strain off the nation’s sparkies, plumbers, builders and carpenters who are able to claim the grant to help make their life a little easier in this post-COVD economy. 

What is really great about the grant is that not only can it be used for stocking up on tools and equipment, but the money can also be put towards vehicle running costs, including fuel, servicing, and van insurance too.

As we all know, insuring a van is not cheap. For many tradespeople, it represents a large chunk of expense towards doing and running their business. And while here at CVI, we do our very best to ensure that all van drivers get the best possible deal on their van insurance, irrespective of age, gender or trade, we know that since the economy ground to a halt earlier this year, getting back up and running has been a massive struggle for many. 

We very much welcome this news and hope that our own Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, sees this initiative and takes inspiration from it, and offers a similar scheme to the van drivers of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

After all, with the government desperate to get us all back to work, we can only hope that they don’t forget the role of the British van drivers play in the economy and that they do their bit for those who may have missed out from other initiatives, such as the furlough scheme or self-employment grants. 

Here’s looking at you, Rishi.

A Right Plonker? Should Have Visited Cheap Van Insurance

Posted on by News Desk

“You Plonker,” is probably the most famous words in the history of British TV, and is the reason why three-wheeler vans became the height of fashion.

Back in the good old days thousands of people had three-wheeler reliant vans just like the one you saw in Only Fools and Horses.

Some owners were wannabe Del Boys, while others were tradespeople who wanted to get the local community talking. It was good for business.

These days, the three-wheeler van has gone of the way of BBC television in general…extinct.

Nobody is watching shows like Only Fools and Horses anymore, which means the demand for a Reliant Regal is low.

However, a recent TV show hosted by Paddy McGuiness had the idea of recreating a famous scene involving Del Boy and Rodney, and in order to get that authentic feel they decided to borrow a three-wheeler from a Only Fools and Horses fan.

Martyn Bridges is his name and writing “Trotters Independent Traders” on the side of the van is his game.

He has a three-wheeler van exactly like the one you saw on the show, so when Paddy and his team came calling he had no problem letting them borrow the van for a few hours.

So the day was set, and true to his word Martyn set out on a cold morning last year in his three-wheeler van. Heads were turning, as usual, and some people even cheered as it made its way through traffic towards the TV studios.

Paddy McGuiness was waiting for the arrival of Martyn, and after some hand shakes and small talk, he wasted no time getting in the drivers seat and then ordering his crew to “start filming.”

“ACTION,” came the order from the director, and with those words Paddy pressed his foot on the accelerator and became Del Boy for the day.

Unfortunately Martyn was not sharing in with the enthusiasm

“He seemed to be going a bit fast and didn’t look like he was braking,” said Martyn. “I heard a massive crunch as he steered my van into a wall.”

Yes you guessed it…Paddy McGuiness had crashed the Only Fools and Horses van!

“You plonker,” is what Martyn no doubt was thinking, although he restrained himself from letting Paddy know what he really thought.

Bizarrely, Paddy didn’t seem the least bit bothered about what had just happened, and instead appeared to make a joke about the situation…”Cor the brakes on that thing don’t work,” he quipped.

Not only that, but according to Martyn there was no apology at all from Paddy, despite the fact that £2000 worth of damage had been caused to the Reliant Regal.

They paid for the damage of course, although it probably had to come out of the TV shows budget.

Perhaps Paddy McGuiness  and his production company should have visited Cheap Van Insurance before they borrowed the three-wheeler.

It would have saved them a packet in my opinion because there are some great deals on insurance for three-wheeler vans for anyone that fills in the 3 minute form.

Anyway, the show went on to air in January, and in that show Paddy went on to recreate the famous scene from Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy falls through the bar.

The three-wheeler van crash didn’t make it into the show and Martyn Bridges is still waiting for his apology.

Fortunately, all three-wheeler van owners don’t need to wait for discount van insurance quotes. Get yours sorted today and then hit the roads…for business or pleasure.

Tool Theft Again! But…Reunited is the Man With Van

Posted on by News Desk

Cheap Van Insurance enthusiasts will no doubt remember the numerous blog posts where I talk about tool theft. It’s headline news.

Unfortunately, most of the time those sneaky but clever van thieves are in your van, and then, with a crafty plan they are away with your tools…never to be seen again.

This usually means the tradesperson is left in a bit of a situation, because the simple fact of the matter is that most people out there do not include tool theft protection in their van insurance policy.

Maybe you think it’s too expensive? Think again is my advice, because all you have to do is compare van insurance, right here of course, and then you get the really cheap deals. Include some tool theft cover and you really won’t be paying too much.

Despite the fact that van tool theft is typically a crime that usually leaves police officers baffled, some of these incidents do have a good ending.

Take the recent story of Ryan Harman-Taylor who hails from the town of Weston-Super-Mare. He was having a great day due to the fact his second child had just been born, but then he returned home to find his van broken into and the tools vanished.

Yes, it was those cunning yet methodical van criminals I am always talking about, who are waiting to pounce no matter where you are in the country. Sometimes they drive all around the country, armed with an A-Z street book and circling the points of interest.

On this particular day they were in Weston-Super-Mare, and it didn’t take them long to find their target.

So they were in and out like a flash, and then…gone…back to base to offload the loot before hitting the streets again to get more loot.

Back to the story and it was £19,000 worth of tools that were stolen from that van, that day, and it left Ryan Harman-Taylor without any way to do his work as a carpenter.

In situations like this most tradespeople have to admit defeat and get directions to the local job centre, but in this story there was a twist.

For once the Police actually got their act together and apprehended the tool thieves. These particular thieves had been doing a lot of activity, to the point where Avon and Somerset Police were actively patrolling the roads looking for suspicious individuals.

It didn’t take them long to find the culprits, and after searching their property they found thousands of pounds worth of stolen tools, including the £19,000 worth of tools we have been talking about in the story.

So, the man with van is reunited with his power tools, and for once those criminals didn’t get away with it, although it wouldn’t surprise me if they avoid jail and are on the streets again in no time at all…the captured, once again the hunters.

This all just highlights the importance of making sure you have insurance for your tools. Don’t leave it a minute longer…fill in the 3 minute form now and be rewarded with 40 quotes from van insurance companies and brokers.

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