Tag: van insurance

Thieves use “Magic Keys” to Unlock Vans

Posted on by News Desk

Just when you thought van crime couldn’t get anymore unusual, well it did…this time in a place called Stapleford, a town in Nottingham.

So what exactly happened here? It appears that criminals have been purchasing “magic keys” on the internet, which basically are able to unlock certain types of vans, mainly Ford vans I’ve been hearing.

One of the recent victims to these thieves is a Stapleford Roofer, after his van was broken into and tools stolen while parked overnight on New Eatons Road. Drills, impact drivers and saws were taken, with an estimated value of around £1500.

Of course, there was no sign of a break in when he went to his van in the morning, and it was only once he checked in the back did he realise what had gone on. The thieves had simply unlocked the van with the magic keys, and then proceeded to grab as much as they could before disappearing into the night.

Anyone that lives in Stapleford will know this is a common occurrence, but it makes it even more frustrating that van thieves are now able to do it so easily. With most break ins they can be done in seconds, and then off with thousands of pounds worth of equipment.

In situations like this many van owners decide against claiming on their insurance though. Why? Because they lose valuable no claims bonuses, which only serves to make their van insurance more expensive the following year.

For most people, they decide to simply buy some more tools out of their own pocket, sometimes on the second hand market to keep costs low.

If you ask me there needs to be something done about these so called “magic keys” that are being sold on the internet. Very often criminals can get them for under £20.

I’m really not sure what is going on here but it has to stop…the Police and van manufacturers should work together to put an end to this problem once and for all.

Sure, you are never going to stop van break ins completely, but when you make it this easy for a thief to break in to vans then it’s laughable really.

People are having their businesses almost destroyed just because people in authority won’t do anything about these keys being sold on the internet…hopefully that is about to change.

Towns close to Stapleford have also been experiencing a wave of van break ins, with Eastwood being one of the main areas after 10 thefts were reported within 5 days. All of these vans were Ford Transit brands, which means it looks like the internet keys worked their magic for the criminals once again.

A spokesperson for Nottinghamshire Police recently said, “we would like to remind all van owners to remove their tools from their vehicle when it is left unattended overnight.”

I agree. Yes it is a hassle, especially after a long day at work, but when you have criminals going around who can break in to vans within seconds, the only way to stop them is by having nothing in the van to steal. It really is the only way.

Also I would just like to remind everybody to always compare van insurance when it comes time to renew. This can easily save you a few hundred quid, so definitely worth it.

Van Driver Fined £5000 for Parking in his Own Driveway

Posted on by News Desk

There are many places that van drivers can get fined for parking, but in your own driveway is not somewhere you would expect to get a ticket.

Unfortunately though, this is exactly what has happened to van driver Dave Tooke, who over the last two years received 53 parking tickets that total £5000 in fines, despite being parked in his own driveway.

Just what is going on here? It was only a few weeks ago I reported on how van drivers were being stopped from buying new houses because the building companies don’t want them parking their vehicle in the neighbourhoods..well, it now seems that van drivers can’t park anywhere.

Thousands of ordinary van drivers are being stopped from parking their vehicles, and if you ask me it just isn’t on. Something needs to be done, even if it means getting a petition started so that politicians and local councils will stand up and take notice. I for one, would sign it.

This all comes at a time of course that van insurance is also becoming more expensive. There isn’t a day that goes by without people contacting me complaining about how their premiums are £200, £400, and even £500 more expensive than last year, and to those people I say…always compare van insurance, and don’t be loyal to any insurance company because they don’t deserve your loyalty.

Fortunately, it only takes about 3 minutes to fill in the form on this very site, and then once you click send your details are sent off to hundreds of the van insurance companies. This is what I suggest every van driver in the UK does if they want to save money.

Back to the parking situation and it appears that Dave Tooke has been living in his £400,000 3 bed house for 4 years now, and for the first 2 years he didn’t have any problems at all, parking his van on the driveway in front of his house.

The last 2 years has been a different story though, and its been problem after problem according to Dave with fines coming left, right and centre from people in authority that just don’t want him to park his van on the estate.

It really does seem that van drivers are being singled out here. Who knows why exactly, but there are many people out there who don’t want tradesmen living in their area.

At the end of the day, Dave can afford the £400,000 house, so he really should not have to deal with this. If the real estate company didn’t want van owners living on the estate then they should have communicated that when he bought the house…not 2 years later.

They were fine taking his £400,000 it would appear, but now they have forgotten all about that. I’ve said before that when things are going well these building and real estate companies get a bit too choosy.

Hopefully Dave can get this whole situation sorted out, and just be left alone to park his van on the property that he paid for.

Vanarama Now Offer Van Insurance

Posted on by News Desk

You’ve no doubt heard that advert theme song on the TV, “Van-a-rama,” but did you know they now offer van insurance? Yes they do.

Vanarama Insurance Services is their name, and giving you multi-year policies is their game. Basically, what they are doing is allowing small business customers to combine lease and insurance costs.

Does this work out cheaper though if you are currently leasing a van or looking to lease a van? It all depends really, because at the end of the day if you only get one quote from Vanarama then you have nothing to compare it against.

The moral of the story here is to get a quote from Vanarama, but also, compare van insurance from as many companies as possible. You can do this right here by filling in a simple form that takes about 3 minutes.

Once you have as many quotes a s possible, then you will know for sure what the best option is. It might be Vanarama or it might be another company.

Something that did impress me when reading about this new van insurance service being offered by Vanarama is the fact they offer a guarantee on the cost of your policy, which means it won’t become more expensive.

I think a lot of other van insurance companies should take note of this…it’s called rewarding customers for their loyalty, something that we don’t hear much of these days.

However, this guarantee is only offered when you take out out a lease on a van for at least 3 years and then buy insurance at the same time. Make sure you read the small print and don’t sign anything until you are fully aware what you are agreeing to.

There are many people out there who are eager to start their own business and see leasing a van as a viable option. Sometimes it can be, but in a lot of situations it might be a better solution to wait until you have a bit of money saved up and then buy a second hand van.

The problem with leasing a van for people who are just starting out in business is that those monthly payments can be difficult to make when you are getting your first few customers.

Many people then take out loans to make these payments, but then find they can’t make the loan payments. In no time at all their business is no longer profitable and they go find a job instead.

I’m not trying to put anyone off starting a business or leasing a van here, all I am saying is that be realistic about your finances and don’t sign anything unless you can comfortably afford to make repayments.

Maybe Vanarama is the right choice for you, just make sure you compare van insurance first so you get as many quotes as possible.

Derbyshire Police to Focus on Van Break Ins

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Police around the country do their best to stop van break ins, but in Derbyshire they are setting up a team to focus all their efforts on this problem.

This comes at a time when reports of criminal incidents involving vans has become a daily occurrence in Derbyshire, especially with trade vehicles that keep a lot of power tools in the vehicle overnight.

Specifically, the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales have become local areas where van break ins are happening just about every week, and this has led to the Police stepping in to take action.

“Despite our best efforts, theft from vans continues to be an issue in the High Peak and also Derbyshire Dales,” commented a spokesperson for the Police.

In my opinion this is definitely something the Police need to do something about, because if they don’t, then it is almost certain that many van drivers in Derbyshire will see their van insurance become more expensive.

We are already in a time where van insurance companies are finding any excuse to make it more expensive…why give them another one? Everybody wants to pay less, not more.

It’s not just the Police who need to take action though, the van owners should also be doing their bit. For example, if you own a van and leave tools stored in the back overnight, then criminals will notice. Don’t think you can get away with it or it won’t happen to you, the chances are it will.

This is why you should always take all tools out of the van at the end of a working day and store them somewhere safer…somewhere which is more difficult for thieves to get to.

The main reason why so many of these criminal gangs go after vans is because they are easy to break into. However, when you start storing tools in the garage or in your house then thieves will probably just move on.

Yes it does take a bit more time at the end of the day to take your tools out of the van, but it’s just one of those jobs that needs to be done.

Also, you might want to try making sure the van is always probably locked up before going into your house at night.

Many times, van owners simply forget to secure their doors. Not only that, but try and park your van off the street if possible, in a garage is ideal, but if it has to be on the street then park it in a well-lit area.

It won’t guarantee that your van is 100% safe from criminals, but it makes it a more challenging van to break in to and the chances are they will move onto another one.

If all van owners in the UK followed this simple advice then van break ins would become less of a problem, and more importantly, cheaper van insurance is something most people could find.

Delivery Driver Caught on Video Throwing Packages

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A delivery driver for a well known company was filmed by a member of the public throwing packages into the back of his van.

The video footage clearly shows the driver scanning the parcels individually, no doubt getting ready to take them on his route, only to then pick them up one by one and chuck them without any consideration to the damage that may have been done.

With more people spending a lot of money online these days you can be sure there was some expensive items among those packages, which means they should have been placed in the van, not thrown.

Once the footage was posted onto sites like YouTube where it got millions of views, then the delivery company who the driver worked for had to face the public and give out an apology.

You know what…I bet this company isn’t too pleased with their driver because not only does it bring bad publicity to their brand but it also means many of their customers got broken packages. I’m sure drivers get training on how to handle packages, so why this driver was just throwing things around is beyond me.

Not only that, but when a delivery company breaks something then it comes directly out of their pocket. I’m sure they have enough expenses already…take van insurance for example, which is more expensive than ever before.

Now, these delivery companies can always compare van insurance, which is what I advise everybody to do, but what can they do about drivers who throw packages around? When caught on video and with enough evidence they can get rid of them of course, but in most instances they probably don’t even realise it is going on.

That’s why I think it’s important that when ordinary members of the public witness this type of thing, they film it on their mobile phones and then upload to social media.

This is the only way we are going to get their attention, so they are then forced to do more about making sure their drivers don’t throw packages around.

What makes the video even more frustrating is that many of the packages were marked “fragile” and the driver just didn’t seem bothered.

However, looking at it from another point of view, it has also been reported that many delivery drivers are working for about £6.80 an hour, which is actually below minimum wage.

Also, there have been stories about delivery companies making unreasonable demands on their drivers, which then results in behaviour such as throwing parcels around and driving on the wrong side of the road (like an Argos van driver did recently).

As UK consumers become more comfortable shopping online and their expectation is to get items delivered quicker than ever before, I think more needs to be done by the delivery companies to make sure their drivers are properly trained.

You can Save Money on Van Insurance According to Experts

Posted on by News Desk

If you are a business owner in the UK then you’re no doubt aware just how expensive van insurance is these days. It’s just too much.

However, owning a van or numerous vans is often necessary to keep your business running smoothly, whether you need to make deliveries, visit different sites, or simply go to meetings, a van is the number one choice for many people.

In my opinion, I think that many van insurance companies have been getting a bit too complacent just recently, which has resulted in many quotes being twice as much as car insurance quotes.

While van insurance is always going to be more expensive that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything you can do.

Many of the top motoring experts in the UK say you should always compare van insurance, and I agree completely. You can easily do this with a comparison website and get more than enough quotes in minutes.

The good news is that many of these experts have been talking to the media recently about ways business owners can save money on van insurance. Make sure you pay attention to the following tips.

Insuring young van drivers

If you are a small to medium sized business who employs people under the age of 25, then you may have found your van insurance becoming more expensive recently. The simple reason is that young drivers are seen as more of a risk by the insurance companies, so they make their quotes according to this.

Fortunately, there are ways to save money on van insurance for young drivers. One of the best ways according to experts, is to put the drivers on a Pass Plus course that usually costs a few hundred pounds and takes around 6 hours to complete. However, once they have passed the course then expect to save around 20% on the van insurance policy for that driver.

Buying a fleet policy

Another great tip is to buy your van insurance in bulk rather than numerous single policies. This is known as a fleet policy, and many insurance companies are only too pleased to offer you this kind of deal because it means they get all of your business.

The main benefit of buying your van insurance in this way is that you often get discounts, especially when you shop around and speak to different companies.

Telematics and GPS

I’ve talked a lot about telematics and similar technology on this blog, and for good reason, as many experts agree this kind of thing is the future.

This is why business owners who install telematics and GPS tracking devices are often rewarded with cheaper van insurance, because it allows them to track the driving style of their drivers, and if the drivers obey the rules of the road then insurance companies are more confident about giving you better quotes.

Man Admits Driving Without Van Insurance

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A man in Lancashire was spared a prison sentence when he admitted to driving his van without any kind of insurance.

Not usually something they send you to prison for anyway you might be thinking, but when you consider he was also a disqualified driver then it becomes a more serious offence.

The man, who is 34, plead guilty in a court of law for not having a driving license and not having van insurance, although the judge decided not to send him to prison.

Instead, he got a suspended 8 week sentence, which means if he commits an offence again, especially driving a van without insurance, then he will be sent to prison for around 2 months. Not only that, but he also has to follow a 6 week curfew which does not allow him to leave the house between 8pm and 6am.

He was also given a 12 month driving ban, had 6 points put onto his license, given a 6 month supervision requirement and had to pay costs that came to £200.

The sentence was handed out because the man had only recently been banned from driving, and had significant previous offences.

It just goes to show you that driving without van insurance is something that can get you into a lot of trouble. Even if you don’t have any previous offences or a history of being in trouble with the law, if you get caught driving without insurance then the Police will not be very impressed.

You could find yourself in a lot of trouble, and may even have to go to court. As we’ve just seen, a prison sentence is unlikely, but you could easily get a suspended sentence, as well as fines.

My advice is simple…always make sure you get van insurance, and never drive without it. I’m hearing a lot of complaints recently about how “insurance is so expensive” and “I don’t want to pay it anymore,” but in reality you don’t have any choice.

It is UK law that your van must be insured, so if you don’t have a policy right now you must do it right away.

Sure, van insurance is getting more expensive, but if you shop around then you might be surprised to find out exactly how cheap it can be.

The best way to do this is by using a van insurance comparison website so you can have your details sent off to all the major insurance companies, and then within a few minutes you get all the quotes right there in front of you.

Some people have reported saving hundreds of pounds on their van insurance by doing this, so in my opinion, anyone who wants cheaper insurance should give it a try.

We Don’t Want Van Drivers say House Builders

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New houses are being built around the UK every week and many of them are very nice, but van drivers are not always welcome.

That’s right. If you happen to drive a van, either for your job or business, and are planning to buy one of these new houses, then the message from many house building companies is simple…”we don’t want you.”

This is because they think the sight of vans parked in the area could affect the value of the houses, which ultimately means they lose out on money.

My opinion on this? Who really cares what is parked in other driveways when looking for a house. Is someone not going to buy a house because the person next door has a van parked in the drive? This is all just madness if you ask me.

It’s funny, because if they start to struggle selling the houses then I’m sure they would more than welcome van drivers and their money, but when things are going well it seems they get a bit too choosy.

One van driver who wishes to remain nameless has even had his van banned once he purchased a house. Initially he got two £100 fines for parking it on the street, and now he has to park about a mile away in the town centre, which as you can imagine, is not ideal.

Another van driver has refused to pay tickets issued for his van, and once they tried to ban his van from the new estate he refused again. Currently, he is in dispute with the house building company, so let’s wait to see what happens with that one.

There is also the story of a van driver who saved up a deposit for a £300,000 house in an area he had always wanted to live, only to be then told he couldn’t park his van either in his drive or on the street.

It’s funny because many van drivers are in the building trade, and are the very people that build these houses. Once everything is finished though, they are technically being banned from ever living there, unless they are prepared to park their van somewhere else which just isn’t realistic for most people.

I understand that these house builders wouldn’t want someone parking their vans all over the street, especially if it is 4 or 5, but when you only have 1 or 2 vans and you park them on your own drive, then I don’t really see what the problem is.

This comes at a time of course when van insurance is a major expense, and having to park away from your home would make it even more expensive.

Do you know what? If most house builders don’t want your money then just look elsewhere. There are sure to be some who don’t have a problem with vans. Also, don’t forget to always compare van insurance to get cheaper quotes.

Hitachi Commercial Vehicles to Install RAC Telematics

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In a move that has caught the attention of drivers, it was recently announced that Hitachi would be installing telematics on all their commercial vehicles.

This includes vans of course, so this is certainly something that van drivers and companies who employ van drivers might want to take a closer look at.

The telematics is to be provided by the RAC and if everything goes well then we might even see them use this technology in the consumer car market. Let’s wait to see what happens there.

For now though, thousands of commercial vehicles in the UK will be equipped with telematics technology, where driver and vehicle data will be recorded in order to give everyone more details about performance.

A good example could be a delivery company who have vans and wants to improve getting packages out on time. Having telematics installed in their vans means that they can look closer into things like how their employees are driving and whether or not the best route is being taken.

Not only that, but let’s not forget that telematics is an excellent device to have installed if you want to get cheaper van insurance.

Typically, having this kind of technology makes drivers better on the road, which means you can then show this data to van insurance companies who will reward you with cheaper policies.

So is telematics in vans and other commercial vehicles the future you might be wondering, or is it simply a fad that will go away? In my opinion it’s definitely here to stay, mainly because it offers so many insights into driver behaviour and ways to make your company better.

Sure, there are people out there who say that it’s too much of a “big brother” type scenario where employers are going to be monitoring every thing their employees do, but to that I say…if you haven’t got anything to hide then having telematics in your van shouldn’t bother you in the slightest.

That’s what I say anyway…I’m sure there are many people who disagree with me on this, but I really don’t think it is going to stop more commercial vehicle companies going down the telematics route, especially when the end result is it saves money for everyone involved.

You know, I think there are thousands of van drivers out there who would install telematics in their van tomorrow if they knew it could save them a few hundred pounds a year on insurance.

We’ve already heard about how van insurance is more expensive than car insurance…surely this type of technology should be applauded if it can save commercial drivers money? I for one think it should.

Average Van Insurance is £1,500…Drivers Outraged

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Just when you thought driving a van couldn’t get anymore expensive it did in 2016, as new statistics show that van insurance is now, on average, £1,500.

Even worse is the fact that van insurance is now more or less double the price of car insurance, which not surprisingly has left many drivers outraged. Why should you be charged more just because you’re a van owner…this really isn’t on at all.

Research from a consumer intelligence company found that van insurance had an average price of £1,591 in October of this year, while for that very same month car insurance was only at an average of £788.

It’s even worse for younger van drivers, as the under 25 age bracket is regularly given insurance quotes that are just way too expensive, especially for people that are starting out in business and trying to get their first few customers.

The research shows that under 25’s have an average van insurance quote of £4,770, with many being quoted a lot more than this.

So what can you do to get cheaper van insurance quotes you might be wondering? This is something I get asked a lot, and my main answer is simple…get as many quotes as you can from different companies.

In the past this was quite time consuming of course, as you had to contact different van insurance companies and speak with each one directly.

Fortunately it’s much quicker now, as all you need to do is fill in one quick form and your information is instantly sent to the insurers, who then use their technology to give you a quote. You are then in a great position to choose the lowest quote possible. Hopefully lower than £1,500.

Another idea is to embrace things like telematics, where a van insurance company installs a device in your van which then analyses your driving style. They use this data in order to come up with a more accurate insurance quote, which might not be quite so expensive.

One thing we all know is that van insurance is a must for anyone that wants to be a law abiding citizen. Don’t risk driving your van without insurance, because if the Police catch you (it’s easy for them to do it) then not only could you face a big fine, but you might also lose your van and business…even your license.

Instead, take a few minutes to compare cheap van insurance quotes, and see how much you could save.

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Complete your quick and easy quote

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Reveal your van insurance policies

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