Tag: van insurance

The Wicker Van Part 2

Posted on by News Desk

“Lord CVI I presume?” asked Sergeant Dowie as he walked into the office.

“At your service,” replied Lord CVI getting up from his armchair.

Sergeant Dowie stood there for a moment, looking Lord CVI up and down.

“Yes…I’m a police officer from the mainland and I’m looking for a missing person…The Chief News Reporter from your blog,” said Sergeant Dowie as he handed the photo to Lord CVI.

“I’m sorry…I can’t help you.” said Lord CVI after looking at the photo for a few seconds.

Sergeant Dowie became impatient and bit agitated…

“Oh yes you can help me! According to your blog he was imprisoned in a maximum security prison in Bordeaux..but Lord CVI …there is no maximum security prison in Bordeaux, and there is no record of this man ever setting foot in the country of France!!”

“So you suspect…foul play?”

“Lord CVI…I suspect…MURDER!!!!”

“Oh no,” replied Lord CVI, in a relaxed and calm tone.”

“Oh Yes!” replied Sergeant Dowie getting more and more irritated.

“Well, I really hope you get to the bottom of this,” said Lord CVI as he started to look out of the window into the CVI HQ grounds.

Sergeant Dowie looked to see what had caught Lord CVI’s attention…and was horrified to see naked women dancing about without a care in the world.

“Just what kind of enterprise are you running here?”

“Oh that is just some of the CVI staff enjoying their lunch break…our motto here at CVI is…be free and do what you want.”

“I’ve never seen such a thing!”

“Yes…well….what you must understand is that here at Cheap Van Insurance we do things differently. I moved to this island in the noughties, at that point there was a declining fishing industry on the island, but that came to an end, and it was me who introduced Cheap Van Insurance as the main source of income…

We could offer cheaper prices than sites and companies on the main land…and do our own thing. Every year we pray to the White Van Gods and they reward us with cheap prices again and again,” said Lord CVI.

“What on earth are you talking about?” replied Sergeant Dowie.

Lord CVI paused for a minute, pondering if to tell the Sergeant more about his company and the White Van Gods, but then decided against it.

“Look…I really don’t see how I can help you…allow me to arrange my assistant to drive you back to your plane.”

“I will be staying right here on this island until I find out what happened to your Chief News Reporter (CNR)!” said Sergeant Dowie in a defiant tone.

“I see,” came the reply from Lord CVI.

CVI Shining Part 2

Posted on by News Desk

I arrived back at CVI headquarters. It was now 2019, and as the boss of CVI I was determined to make this the year of cheap van insurance.

Immediately I knew something was wrong as I approached the HQ main entrance. The front door was open and all the lights were off.

“JNR,” I shouted as I cautiously entered the building.

“HELLO…JNR…IS ANYBODY THERE…JNR?” I shouted again, only to be met with silence.

I started walking down the hallway when I nearly tripped over a push scooter.

“He’s obviously been having fun,” I said.

And then I saw something which made me stop in my tracks. I just stood there, in shock.

Right there on the floor next to the stationery cupboard was the canteen manger…and a red substance all over the floor. There was also an axe there.

“Canteen Manager,” I shouted as I ran over to him.

He woke up immediately and seem startled to see me.

“What is going on here? Where is the JNR? Why are you here and on the floor?” I asked him.

“I had visions last night,” he replied as he got up off the floor. “I woke up and had a vision of the JNR smashing open the stationery cupboard with an axe.”

“They call it Shining,” he went on to add. “Me and the CNR used to have entire conversations without ever opening our mouths…and just before I left for the holidays, I noticed the JNR could do the same thing. When I woke up last night with those visions, I knew he was in trouble. So I got in my car and rushed here”

“So why are you on the floor?” I asked.

“Well, I got here and found the stationery cupboard smashed open, and as you may remember, this is where I store my homemade tomato sauce. When I saw all of my sauce on the floor, I was in shock and I passed out.”

It was then I noticed something was missing out of the stationary cupboard. The prized possession of CVI…the typewriter.

When I first started CVI back in the day, before the internet, all I had was that typewriter and a dream.

When I first typed those words on the typewriter back in the day – “Save a packet on van insurance in 3 minutes” – I knew I was on to something.

And now it was missing.

“Did you have any visions about what he did with the typewriter?” I asked the canteen manager.

“I think you might want to have a look in his office,” he replied.

Drones Out…Delivery Drivers In

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We all thought the writing was on the wall for delivery drivers. “Rise Of The Drones,” said the boss of Amazon and he meant it.

It was thought drones in the air would become the new way to deliver packages to every man, woman, and child in this nation of ours, and while it may eventually become a reality, for now it is the delivery drivers who are needed the most.

In our opinion the next 10 to 20 years is a boom time for UK delivery drivers and courier drivers. If you can drive a van then you can make a packet.

Which is good news, because you can also use CVI to save a packet on your van insurance.

The equation is simple – delivery driver job + CVI = You Win!

At this point you might be saying “OK CVI, the drones might be out, but what about self driving vans?”

It’s true that self driving vans are just over the horizon, but there is still a need for someone to deliver the packages.

While a van that drives itself is not far off, a robot who gets in and out of the van all day long and knocks on doors is still a bit far fetched if you ask us.

So you can forget about drones and forget about robots. Your delivery driving job is safe and you can cash in on the online shopping craze for years to come.

For example, the demand from Amazon Prime is hot right now. They want packages delivered morning, noon, and night…every day, all day, and it is YOU who is expected to get them delivered on time and in one piece.

And get this: The boss at Amazon has come up with an idea…he wants YOU to become the boss.

That’s right. It looks like Amazon might be about to go down the franchise route and allow delivery drivers to setup their very own Amazon delivery franchise.

He estimates that a franchise owner could make around $300,000 a year, which is about £250,000 in UK money.

Would you like to make a quarter of a million a year, all from the comfort of your own van, while you eat ham sandwiches and read CVI on your smartphone? Of course you would.

It doesn’t matter how much cash you rake in though. You should always compare van insurance and that is something you can do on our 3 minute form.

You can even get van fleet insurance though our trusted partners, which means if your Amazon delivery franchise takes off then we have got you covered.

Top 5 Van “Pun” Names Revealed

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There is nothing wrong in calling your van based business something like “Dave’s Removal Company” or “Jane’s Plumbing.” It gets the job done.

However, some people like to get creative, to the point where their business is based around a “pun” and it makes everyone say “ahhhhh” when they hear it.

Not only that, but when you drive your van down the high road and your pun business name is printed on the side, then everybody stops and stares and points. Some people even give you a wave.

So what are the top 5 van “pun” names? Keep reading to discover more…

He-Van, Movers of the Universe

Our favourite has to be this one. “He-Van, Movers of the Universe” just has a certain ring to it, don’t you agree? It is the type of pun that has no doubt put this van based removal business on the map.

They have been Movers of the Universe in Brighton since 2010, and word of mouth suggests they keep on going from strength to strength.

Spandau Valet

Coming in at a close second is “Spandau Valet,” who, as you might have guessed, are a mobile valet company operating out of a van.

They have taken inspiration from that famous 80’s band that we all know and love, while at the same time, they apparently use Cheap Van Insurance to get amazing quotes for valet companies. Good on them I say.

Floral and Hardy

If you sell flowers and you deliver them directly to the doors of your customers, then you need a name that stands out, wouldn’t you agree?

That is why “Floral and Hardy” takes the number 3 position our list. Simple but effective…just like CVI and our 3 minute form.

Barber Streisand

Mobile hairdressing and barbers are becoming more popular, and they use LCV’s to get around and go to cut and shave their customers hair.

One particular mobile barber has come up with the pun “Barber Streisand.”

“Amazing”…is all we can say!

Bonny Tiler

Cheap Van Insurance is known for being the home of tradespeople with vans around this nation of ours…especially tilers and roofers.

That is why the name “Bonny Tiler” really caught our attention and deserves its rightful place right here on our top 5 list.

I’m sure the owners of Bonny Tiler are “holding out for a hero” every single year at van insurance renewal time…and then they find their hero…CVI…The website of the people!

The Van Thief “Houdini” Terrorising The Nation

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There was a time when van thieves were primitive in their ways. Sure, the famous “Houdini” had his tricks, but the thieves had not caught up.

While Houdini was doing his famous escape tricks to wow amazed onlookers, your average van criminal was still operating with a crow bar.

“Smash the windows and get the loot,” they would shout to their fellow gang members, and then everyone would scramble to get a piece of the pie before the rozzers showed up.

These days most of those old timer van criminals have their feet up and are enjoying their retirement, but that has given way to a new type of criminal to enter the underworld of van crime.

The gangs are way more organised than your old timers, and operate with the kind of wit and cunning that Houdini would have been proud of.

Take the recent story of a plumber in Hartlepool, who parked his van in the same spot that he had been parking for years. Outside his home. The place where thousands of tradespeople park their vans, of course.

In days gone by this was a great place to park, because the van owners would quickly be alerted to something going on.

As soon as a crow bar smashed the window then your average plumber, back then, would have been alerted, even at 2am, and would then be able to grab his plunger and give chase.

However, the year is now 2018 and van criminals operate in a completely different way. Some people are calling it magic.

This particular plumber in Hartlepool had a camera watching his van you see, and when he went down the next morning and found £2000 worth of tools stolen, what he did was go straight to the video tape.

On that tape he saw something so amazing, and so bizarre, that he would no doubt have paid good money to see it performed on the stage.

Pay for it he did though, with £2000 worth of tools out of his van.

What he saw on that tape was a gang of thieves walk by his van in the early hours of the morning, before the birds started singing. Silence would have been the main focus of the neighbourhood, and a passing cat the only movement.

What he saw though, made his jaw drop in awe and his mind wonder…”Just what is going on here?”

That is because those van thieves managed to unlock his van without even touching it.

It is the kind of trick that would make ordinary people scratch their heads and wonder if they were dreaming. The plumber wasn’t dreaming though, and his tools just vanished right into the night.

While it’s easy to look at this as some kind of magic trick, the reality is that these gangs are now armed with remote devices, that can be used to flash the lights of the van and unlock it.

My advice to protect yourself against this? Make sure you get as much van insurance as you can, the kind of insurance that protects you in the event of tool theft.

December is Over…Insure Your Van NOW!

Posted on by News Desk

All through the month of December van owners were being warned to NOT insure their van. “Just don’t do it,” they said.

Who exactly? Experts of course, who after going through the van insurance prices for every month of the year, they found that December was the most expensive time to get a quote and sign on the dotted line.

Fortunately, December the 31st has now passed and the drunk behaviour of New Years Eve is beginning to turn to plain sobriety, and this means one thing and one thing only…buy van insurance right NOW!

That’s right. If December was the month for buying Christmas presents then January is most definitely the month for buying van insurance.

Research found that in January and February you will automatically save, on average, around 20% for van insurance compared to the exact same policy in December.

Not only that, but if you visit the nations favourite van insurance comparison website first, then, get ready for even more potential savings.

Why such a change in price anyway, after all, it is only a new month? According to experts, it has something to do with the fact that van insurance companies like to relax a bit during the month of December, which means when it comes time for a van driver to get a quote there is less competition between the companies, leading to more expensive prices.

Then January comes around and all of those van insurance companies are done with putting their feet up…what they want now is some action and they are determined to get it.

Action in the form of new customers and more money of course, and what happens is that the industry becomes extremely competitive.

It is the van owner who wins. The average van driver who just wants a fair price. The white van man or woman, so to speak, who are the foundation of this very country.

Well, to all commercial vehicle owners in the UK, get ready to save 20%, 30%, 40% or even 50% on your van insurance, because right now is the best time to get started.

What better place to get started than right here at Cheap Van Insurance? There is no better place, as we have not been called the “Nations Favourite” for nothing.

“OBEY!” is what we say when it comes to the opinions of experts, and if they are saying “buy van insurance in January,” then you should stop thinking and just “OBEY!”

All you have to do is fill out the simple 3 minute form right here on our website and you instantly get quotes from around 40 van insurance companies.

Don’t Defrost Your Van Insurance This Winter

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It’s that time of year again, where morning temperatures are mostly in the minus and van drivers around the country are defrosting windscreens.

Police have recently taken to the airwaves in a bid to warn van drivers about the dangers of not defrosting windscreens correctly and leaving their van unattended

For example, did you know that if you are pulled over by Police this winter and you still have ice on your windscreen, then the Police officer will instantly slap a £60 fine on you? They are just doing their job.

Also, were you aware that if you leave the engine of your van running on the roadside while defrosting the windscreen, the Police officers have been instructed to give you a £20 fine? With all these fines, van drivers will be going without ham sandwiches and flasks of tea before too long.

Perhaps most alarming of all is the message from Police, that if your van is stolen why you were defrosting your windscreen, and you had just nipped into the house to “warm up for a bit,” then your van insurance company probably won’t pay out.

That’s right. Thousands of pounds worth of your property could disappear into the cold winter morning and there is not a thing you could do about it. Your van and power tools just gone, leaving you to start all over again…or go down the local job centre.

The message here is clear if you ask me…do not leave your keys in the ignition while defrosting the windscreen, especially if you plan to leave the van unattended, even for a few seconds.

Gangs of van thieves are everywhere right now, patrolling the morning streets of the UK just looking for that one opportunity. They are organised, quick, and fearless, and will think nothing of taking away everything you have worked hard for over the years.

This has led the Police to give out advice on what van drivers should be doing on those cold and freezing mornings.

Firstly, make sure you give yourself enough time to defrost your window. One of the main reasons why people get it wrong in the first place is because they are rushing.

Secondly, be prepared by using a windscreen shield overnight, and then in the morning, get rid of the ice with a basic scraper. Don’t turn on your engine and then leave the vehicle

Unfortunately, I think many van owners are going to ignore this message from Police, which means this winter could prove to be costly for many of our nations tradespeople and delivery drivers.

With that being said, you can make it not so expensive, and even a bit cheaper, by using a van insurance comparison website. Simply fill in the form and then get instant deals from around 40 companies.

Postie Out, Robots In…

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The days of seeing a Royal Mail van pull up outside your house and a postie in shorts jump out the back may be coming to an end.

That is if the US Postal Service have anything to do with it anyway, as it’s just been announced they have very specific plans for the future of delivering mail and packages. “Postie out, robots in,” is the memo.

In other words, they want to get rid of the humble postie, who over the years has remained dedicated to delivering your mail in all weather conditions…rain, wind, snow, or sunshine, all while wearing a pair of shorts.

Instead, the US Postal Service want robots turning up at the doors of households. Sure, they will be efficient, but will they have any personality? My opinion is no, they will be too…robotic.

A robotic personality maybe, but it certainly appears that robots are the future of delivery. Remember how I reported recently about supermarkets in the UK wanting self driving vans with robots controlling them? Or how about the 4 hour delivery van that only requires a robot? The writing is on the wall it seems.

Or maybe not…we are talking about the “US Postal Service” here, perhaps they wont follow suit in the UK? Unfortunately I believe they will, just like everything else. McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, American Football…the UK ends up getting everything from America and this includes robot posties in vans.

Right now there are 228,000 US Postal vans on the roads of America, and if everything goes to plan the vast majority of these vans will be self driving and featuring robots by the year 2025.

I would expect the UK to jump on board with the same kind of plan as soon as the technology is proven, and once this happens we may never see another postie in shorts turning up at doorsteps again.

Instead it will be the robot with a delivery. Focused? Yes. Time for a chat? No. Robotic by name and robotic by nature.

Will all van drivers be robots in this futuristic Britain? Not at all, because while there are some jobs that can be done by a robot there are others that will always need a human on board.

Take your average roofer as an example. Like posties they also wear shorts in all weather conditions, but unlike posties I don’t think they are going to be replaced by robots anytime soon.

I just can’t imagine letting a robot loose on your roof to change the roof tiles or point up the ridge tiles, that would be a disaster waiting to happen.

Better to keep roofers very much human then, just like the majority of tradespeople such as builders, electricians, plumbers and carpenters.

Skilled workers who get the job done, wear shorts, visit a comparison site for van insurance and sometimes get involved in bouts of rage. The “white van man” so to speak.

Van Driver VS Traffic Warden – CONFRONTATION!

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Don’t worry, we are not returning to the summer of rage where van drivers were unleashing violence, but an incident did happen recently.

It was more calm though. Some would say even diplomatic on the van drivers behalf, who witnessed something happening that caused him to stop his van and question someone that was supposed to be in authority.

The authority of a traffic warden that is…someone who is handed a badge by the government with the message of “protect our roads from illegal parking. Punish anyone that doesn’t obey.”

So every morning these traffic wardens set off from their house and apartments and then patrol the streets and roads of the UK looking for violations

Sometimes they arrive in packs, and then split up to prowl the streets individually. They can give out more tickets that way.

Other times, traffic wardens are given their own vehicles…just like in this particular incident, where the traffic warden was riding a scooter.

So what happened is that the van driver noticed the traffic warden was parking on a double yellow line, something which is illegal of course, and then when he pulled up alongside to point our this fact he was met with a response that left him in shock…

“It’s okay, it’s only for 5 minutes,” said the traffic warden, referring to the fact that parking on double yellow lines is cool as long as you are not there for a long time.

Well, in actual fact this isn’t okay at all, and when a member of the public or a van driver tries to use this excuse they are almost always met with a “sorry, got to give you a ticket.”

In this particular incident the van driver was not satisfied with the traffic wardens response and no doubt all out rage might very well have been on his mind for a second, but then he decided to simply question him instead.

“Oh so you’re allowed to park on a double yellow for five minutes,” said the van driver, referring to the fact that the UK public are not allowed to but traffic wardens are.

“There is nowhere else to park though,” replied the traffic warden, almost as if it excused him from breaking the very law he was hired to protect.

Talk about double standards over these double yellow lines, it’s almost as if these traffic wardens really do think they are above the law.

I’m sure the van driver wanted to get out of the van and make the warden see a bit of sense, but on this day he decided to accept the fact that it was better to stay in the van and get on with his job.

A brief confrontation yes, but not the kind of confrontations that we have been hearing about over the last few months. A return to the summer of rage this isn’t, although who knows how long van drivers are going to remain so diplomatic.

The one thing I do know is that all van drivers in the UK should visit this website to compare van insurance. You get cheap quotes so you can save money, and then at least you have some extra change in your pocket.

Van Rental Company Owner Blasts Criminals

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It’s the perfect match. You need a short term van and go to a van rental company. Unfortunately, not everyone has legal intentions…they intend to be illegal.

Criminals that is, who are renting vans all around the country as a way to carry out their activities without being caught by the cops. Many are getting away with it as well, but the owner of one particular van rental company is fed up.

Andrew Tindall who runs Foxy Rentals in Hull has recently commented to the media about criminals who rent his vans to do illegal activities, and he is not impressed.

“Criminals are using my vans to go on stealing sprees,” said Andrew. “You are only one insurance claim away from closing down,” he went on to add.

In other words, it’s these criminals who are putting his van rental company at risk, because if they keep on using the vans to do things such as armed robberies, shoplifting, smuggling, home theft, crash for cash and drug dealing, then the van insurance company could make his policies more expensive, to the point where it would be almost impossible to make a profit anymore.

While the vast majority of people who rent vans are above board and legitimate people who just need a vehicle to do things like move goods from one house to another or pick up some stock for their business, the problem is that finding the criminals is not easy.

The requirements to hire a van are quite limited in the UK, where people only need to be 23 and have a driving licence that has no more than 6 points on it.

Any criminal with bad intentions can tick these boxes and hire a commercial van with ease, and then be on the road in minutes ready to commit illegal acts of crime that would certainly interest the Police.

Not only that, but many people seem to think that driving in a hired van makes them above the law when on UK roads, with Andrew commenting that “there are some people that will not accept responsibility. They get in somebody else’s property and think they are invincible from the law.

This includes drivers speeding, driving in bus lanes, avoiding tolls, and splashing innocent members of the public with puddles.

Also, let’s not forget that many van drivers have been known to take part in a bit of road rage, with this past Summer being known as “The Summer of Rage.”

Things seem to have quieted down a bit on that front, maybe because it is getting too cold to get out of the van and start throwing punches. Van drivers are wrapped up in blankets and sipping a hot cup of tea, only leaving their vans to do a bit of work before going back to have a sandwich

The one piece of advice I can give to van rental company owners is to always use a comparison website for your insurance.

Yes, you might be getting more expensive rates because of criminals, but if you compare then at least you can get some better quotes and save yourself some money.

Step 1

Complete your quick and easy quote

Step 2

Reveal your van insurance policies

Step 3

Pick your favourite and get instant cover