Category: Fleet News

The ultra-low emission zone (ULEZ) has continued to grow in recent years, and the initiative aims to bring cleaner air to millions of people living in and out of London. So, what is ULEZ and who does it affect?

What is ULEZ?

ULEZ stands for ‘ultra-low emission zone’ and has been in London has been in operation since 2019. It’s a legally binding initiative which dictates that drivers of vehicles emitting a certain level of pollution must pay a charge for driving in the area.

This charge is separate to the London Congestion Charge, and drivers operating with high emission within the ultra-low emission zone are likely to find themselves paying both daily charges.

What is ‘ULEZ compliant’?

Whether vehicles need to pay a charge depends on whether they meet certain emission standards, measured from Euro 1 to Euro 6. The charge particularly impacts older vehicles that have a high carbon impact – and the charge naturally applies to diesel and petrol engines rather than purely electric vehicles.

How much is the ULEZ charge?

For cars, motorcycles and vans that do not meet the emission standard, the daily charge for driving in this area is £12.50. Failure to pay the charge can result in a penalty as high as £180.

The daily charge for HGVs over 3.5 tonnes is much higher at £100. The penalty for lack of payment can be as high as £1,000.

This does mean that businesses operating in the ULEZ with HGVs are paying hefty charges to operate in this area, especially considering any additional costs put towards acquiring an HGV Safety Permit and complying with the Direct Vision Standard.

Which areas are now in the ULEZ?

In 2023, the ultra-low emission zone was expanded to cover all of London’s boroughs, including those in Outer London.

When first introduced in 2019, the ULEZ only covered central London, and then expanded to all areas within the North and South Circular roads in 2021.

Who is affected?

The ultra-low emission zone applies to drivers of most vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and special vehicles (up to and including 3.5 tonnes) and minibuses (up to and including five tonnes) that don’t meet emissions standards.

However, according to the Department of Transport, as many as 12.7million of the 18.3million petrol cars on the road at the time ULEZ was introduced were already compliant.

Previously there was a 100% discount in place for residents of the Congestion Charge area, but this discount has now ended, and residents will now also have to pay the £12.50.

Ultra Low Emission Zone exemptions

Drivers of EVs will of course be exempt from any charges. They do not emit harmful greenhouse gases, and therefore do not contribute to the problem that the ULEZ is hoping to tackle.

Most petrol cars and newer diesel cars are also safe from the charge. As a rule, if your diesel car was first registered after September 2015, it is likely to be compliant with the emissions standards. The same goes for petrol cars registered from 2005 onwards.

However, it is estimated that about one in five cars will need to pay. 100,000 cars, 35,000 vans and 3,000 lorries are expected to be affected and subject to the charges.

To be exempt from the charges, your vehicle must not exceed a certain level of nitrogen dioxide emissions. Nitrogen dioxide is a harmful gas that damages lungs and makes life harder for sufferers of asthma and lung and heart disease.

What are the benefits of expanding the zone?

The expected result of the expansion is that people will find alternative methods of travel. Instead of driving, they might opt for public transport or simply to walk or cycle.

As a result, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan states that the city will reduce the amount of carbon being emitted. He explained in 2023 that there are 4,000 premature deaths per year in London linked directly to air pollution.

Given that 60% of residents of this area don’t even own a car, the mayor claims it is fair that the air quality of this area is improved. Whilst the environmental benefits are obvious, Khan suggests that this is “an issue of social justice”, as it is the poorest of Londoners who suffer the most because of toxic air conditions.

The continued expansion of the zone has been met with some criticism, however, mainly due to timing. With many businesses still recovering from the pandemic, their finances may take additional hits due to these new rules. Paying the charge for each of their vehicles every day may prove difficult.

Will your business be impacted by the ULEZ expansion?

If your business operates within the expanded zone, you may find yourself paying the charges if your vehicles are not compliant.

In this case, it’s important to consider what else you can do to save money.

Fuel Card Services is on hand to help any business that aims to transition to electric vehicles to reduce their emissions. We’ve got a selection of EV Charge Cards, and our EV Solutions can help businesses install charging infrastructure in homes and workplaces.

To further reduce costs, we offer a comprehensive suite of commercial fleet services that are designed to save your business time and money through becoming more efficient and cost-effective.

If you think your fleet could be doing more to save on costs, get in touch with our dedicated team today.

The UK is in the midst of a HGV driver shortage which is having a severe impact on a number of different industries. From insufficient delivery services to supply chain disruption, the whole economy could suffer from a lack of drivers – meaning it is more important than ever that fleet operators remain competitive and able to attract new drivers.

We have covered why the shortage of HGV drivers might be happening in a previous article, so let’s now take a look at what practical steps fleet operators can take to navigate these challenges.

How to attract HGV drivers

There are many different elements to consider in the process of attracting new drivers. Here are our tips:

1. Update your website

It’s important to consider how an aspiring or experienced driver perceives your company. Consequently, you should be looking to take every step possible to ensure they have a positive experience when exposed to the most important channel you have – your website.

It could be wise to dedicate a page on your website to explaining exactly what support you offer both to new and existing drivers. Give them a flavour of what it is like to be a driver within your fleet, showcase the unique benefits you offer to employees, and underline this with the values you teach your managers and leaders – and you could find drivers aligning quickly with your company.

2. Use positive reviews as much as possible

Word of mouth is a fantastic way of expanding your workforce, however it sadly isn’t practical to use this as a mass recruitment tool. The next best thing, then, is likely acquiring written reviews via a popular and trusted reviews platform.

For example, Trustpilot, Google Reviews, and Glass Door are all highly reputable platforms that enable current and previous employees to leave honest reviews of your business. You should always work toward improving the experience of your current driver-base to influence these reviews, but it’s also worth taking this one step further by showcasing these reviews properly.

You could look to use the built-in sharing functionality within these platforms to share reviews via your social media channels, incorporate them into your email marketing, and even feature them on jobs boards alongside your listings. Speaking of which, perhaps our most important tip is to:

3. Create good advertisements

Ask yourself, where are potential drivers likely to spend time during their job search – and what material of yours will they be exposed to while doing so?

Realistically, jobs boards are perhaps the best way of reaching a large number of candidates without requiring too much effort. It’s essential that you put time into meticulously crafting a good advertisement that sells the benefits of your company in a concise way.

To help position yourself to create the perfect listing, it’s also worth reviewing competitor activity to see what kind of messaging they’re putting out into the world.

4. Consult hiring experts if necessary

While it’s often cheaper to manually handle your business’ recruitment drive and to keep that process solely in-house, you may not always get the exact results you’re looking for. In this instance, it could be wise to talk to recruitment agencies who specialise in the haulage sector to see whether you can strike a mutually beneficial arrangement that solves your driver needs and proves profitable for the agency.

How to retain HGV drivers

Equally as important as attracting new drivers is retaining the loyal employees that currently work for you. It can be disheartening for existing employees to see new job offers being posted by your company that feature attractive joining offers and benefits that they themselves do not have access to.

A balanced approach, then, should split attention between recruitment and retention in a measured way. As we’ve mentioned, retention initiatives can in of themselves serve as a recruitment tool, if HGV drivers decide to share positive reviews of your business within their own social networks to help you bring new people on board.

Some retention tools you could consider rolling out include:

• Increasing wages to reflect your business’ growth. This is absolutely key to remaining competitive in a marketplace whereby virtually all businesses are struggling to recruit HGV drivers.
• Giving your employees a voice. Running regular feedback sessions, planning one-on-one meetings with your drivers and their managers from time to time, and showing that you’re not only listening to but acting on the concerns raised by your drivers is a great way of helping your employees feel connected and respected.
• Define your culture from the top down. Building an inclusive, welcoming, and progressive culture in your business could see employees feeling like they’re truly part of a community – rather than feeling that they’re simply selling their time for money to your organisation. This culture is often the cornerstone of your business’ reputation, and so investing time into working with senior management to define what you want your company to represent could prove beneficial.
• Credit and reward your employees fairly. If some of your drivers put in significantly more effort than others; enhancing the customer experience, proving flexible, and going above and beyond to support the team – does your business have a process in place for flagging this positive behaviour and rewarding those responsible? Putting a proper rewards scheme in place that incentivises good work and team building could positively impact your workforce.

Where do I start with reviewing my business’ recruitment and retention processes?

Ultimately, there are three key areas to consider improving when looking to positively impact retention and recruitment:

1. Your business – including your website, company values, mission statement, and offering.
2. Your messaging – reviewing all messaging across recruitment platforms, jobs boards, social media, and even the internal communications you share with your staff can yield opportunities to improve.
3. Your current and prospective employees – what do they want to see from your company? Are you taking the time to conduct the right market research, fully understand their needs, and then tailor your job offerings to tick the right boxes for these employees? Doing so may help you edge out over your competition.

While there’s no one solution that works for all fleets, we hope the tips we’ve shared today help you to attract and retain HGV drivers moving forward, no matter how difficult it may seem.

How can Fuel Card Services help?

At Fuel Card Services, we know how important it is to put the right technology in place that makes your drivers feel safe and supported. That’s why we have developed a range of professional fleet services that are designed to do everything from automatically record mileage, to facilitate servicing and maintenance – and even help your drivers find their nearest fuel pumps.

If you think our range of fleet services could benefit your operation, why not get in touch with our experts to find out how we can support you?

While there’s currently no global standard speed limit that all countries and organisations can agree on, it’s clear that speed limits exist to minimise the potential danger to life posed by high-speed driving.

What, though, is the best way to go about ensuring speed limits are enforced? Should we trust each individual to abide by the laws of their own accord, or should we be aiming to force people to comply with speed limits through our design of vehicle technology?

This question remains unanswered, however one potential solution has surfaced which, if introduced, is likely to have a serious impact for all drivers in the UK and Europe.

What is a vehicle speed limiter?

That proposed solution is vehicle speed limiters, which utilise ‘Intelligent Speed Assistance’ (or ISA) to slow drivers down. This technology comes in two main strands:

• Nagging limiters – which literally slow your vehicle down and reduce your ability to accelerate once sensors have detected that you’re driving over the legal limit.
• Warning systems – which set of a series of warning sounds and visual alerts once a driver has exceeded the speed limit.

The EU is the driving force behind introducing ISA legislation which will legally require that all new cars manufactured from 2022 include some level of vehicle speed limiter technology built in, the European Transport Safety Council announcement suggests. While the UK has departed from the EU via Brexit, there’s a strong indication that we’re likely to mirror any legislation that’s introduced very closely.

Are vehicle speed limiters definitely coming into place?

With that in mind, there can’t be any guarantees as to whether the legislation will come into place, or exactly what it will entail, just yet. We do know that there’s a demand for this legislation, as many speculate that it could assist with the introduction of self-driving cars to UK roads by giving reassurance to road users while improving safety standards.

However, agreeing on the exact terms of the legislation is proving to be problematic. Perhaps the main reason for this is that vehicle speed limiters aren’t 100% effective. With warning systems, for example, drivers will undoubtedly become annoyed by repeated audio and visual alerts – but this simply might just not translate into them actually slowing down.

What’s more, even in the case of nagging limiters, the proposed legislation indicates only that new vehicles must be manufactured with this technology in place, not that it must actively be used on the roads. Drivers would therefore be able to legally disable a nagging or warning limiter system and face no persecution, which means many drivers may still end up speeding and potentially putting lives at risk.

A decision yet to be made

It’s worth noting that the vast majority of UK car manufacturing and driving legislation is an imitation of EU legislation, which is desirable for companies trading in both economic areas given it reduces complexity in the manufacturing and distribution process. Therefore, it’s likely that we’ll abide by this new law.

However, as the legislation requires the visual warning to be placed in the direct field of vision of the driver, some electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla are not happy with this, as they would have to change their vehicles’ display.

ISA has many benefits, such as the improvement of fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions, detecting pedestrians, cyclists, and vulnerable users – ultimately making all road users safer.

However, there are still some limitations to the system, such as detecting speed. Temporary road works and out of date GPS mapping can show inaccurate speed signs, increasing chances of surpassing the legal speed limit.

Additionally, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has said that even after the introduction of the system, drivers will still be held responsible. So, if the system detects lower/higher speed limit than allowed and drivers override it – they will be issued speeding tickets.

What does this news mean for commercial fleets?

If the legislation is introduced in the UK, it could have a real-world impact for fleet operators. One potentially negative impact is that the requirements for new vehicles may change, meaning operators around the country would have to ensure that any new lorries or cars purchased come with speed limiter software built in.

This would mean higher expenses, which could be a challenge at a time when fleet operators are already facing a lot of costs such as rising fuel costs due to shortages.

On the positive side though, abiding to the legal speed limits would result in a decrease in speeding tickets, less risk to drivers and less likelihood of incidents if the technology proves effective. All of this could result in less downtime for your fleet, meaning you could maximise your vehicle usage and focus on generating revenue.

We hope this blog has been useful in informing you about speed limiters, what they mean for fleet vehicles and how they’ll help fleet managers and drivers stay safe.

How can Fuel Card Services help?

At Fuel Card Services, we know how important it is to track the performance of your fleet, both to improve driver safety and vehicle security. That’s why we have developed Tele-Gence, our advanced telematics system which enables you to install a range of cameras and trackers on your vehicles before remotely feeding data through to your team; enabling you to get a fuller picture of your operation and spot cost-saving opportunities.

The automated reported system included in our Tele-Gence service can help you flag when your fleet vehicles are being used for fraudulent purposes, monitor dangerous speeding, and gain insights into how improved driver behaviour generates sales. Every good fleet operation could benefit from an advanced telematics system, so why not not get in touch with our experts to find out how we can support you?

Decarbonisation is a truly global trend with which many governments are engaged. Only through limiting the amount of carbon produced by industry can we look to slow down the rate of global warming and protect our planet, and the concrete actions that must be taken by UK organisations in particular are now starting to be outlined.

The UK government has recently released their roadmap for decarbonisation; a 216-page report which seeks to promote the idea of ‘a better, greener Britain’.

In this article, we’re going to summarise what this report entails, while also touching on our area of expertise; fuelling commercial fleets, and also explore how this industry in particular is likely to be affected.

Why are we decarbonising transport in the UK?

There’s a strong consensus within the scientific community that greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to global warming, and there’s consequently a clear need for an initiative to reduce carbon emissions. Did you know, though, the transport sector in the UK is actually the worst offender?

In 2019, 27% of all greenhouse gas emissions produced by the UK came from transport, and so it’s no surprise that exploring more sustainable transport solutions is a priority in the proposed decarbonisation plans.

While there are various sub-sectors of transport, such as aviation and residential vehicles, the commercial fleet sector is proving to be a potentially huge opportunity area where progress can be made. Imagine if, for example, the thousands of petrol-powered lorries travelling hundreds of miles to deliver commercial goods were to switch over to the cleaner electric power offered by electric roads.

So, what is the plan?

The government’s proposal contains a lot of detail around how society as a whole can minimise its carbon footprint; from promoting walking and cycling regionally to reducing maritime carbon emissions. The key aims of the report, though, are to:

• Outline the principles by which the UK will operate; determining which core values and goals will underpin the UK’s approach for the foreseeable future.
• Explain the wider benefits of net zero carbon emissions.
• Map out the UK’s pathway to achieving net zero transport.

Some key takeaways include:

The decarbonisation of the freight sector

The latest data (2019) indicates that HGVs alone are responsible for 16% of the UK’s domestic greenhouse gas emissions. To combat this, up to £700m has been pledged to support the manufacturing of zero-emission vehicles, such as electric HGV fleets, which could revolutionise the transport sector.

Beyond vehicles, though, the government are also prioritising roads; promising £20m of investment into trialling zero emission road freight solutions. What exactly this will look like is yet to be determined, however we could plausibly see heavy goods vehicles powered by overhead electrified wiring on UK motorways, or potentially even charging infrastructure embedded into road surfaces that remotely charges vehicles.

There are also plans to prohibit the sale of non-zero emission HGVs entirely by 2040, which is also expected to yield benefits around noise pollution and air quality.

Improved infrastructure around electric vehicle charging

Beyond making the fantastic electric vehicle charging technology the UK currently has access to more widely available, it’s key that the UK remains at the forefront of research in this area. That’s why the government’s roadmap also commits up to £2.8 billion in support of R&D, the implementation of charging infrastructure, and financial incentives to help businesses and residential drivers make the switch to emission-free transport.

It’s expected that zero-emission vehicle manufacture could see around 60,000 new jobs created by 2030, particularly in Midlands and North East England manufacturing heartlands.

How will fleet operators be affected?

As a person responsible for the operation of a commercial fleet, whether that’s a consumer-facing taxi service or a freight operation, you’re likely to feel the real-world impact of new government legislation and policy over the coming years, which may include:

• The electrification of fleets.
• New electric battery technology.
• Bans or taxes on carbon-emitting vehicles.

It could be advantageous to keep a keen eye on any news relevant to your operation, and consider whether there are changes you can make to your business now, that could see you reducing costs, maximising profits, and improving on the sustainability front to ensure that your business model is fit for the future as much as the present.

How can Fuel Card Services help?

At Fuel Card Services, we completely understand the motivation of fleet operators to make efficiencies and reduce costs as much as possible. That’s why we’ve partnered with the UK’s leading fuel providers to offer a quality range of fuel cards that can save your drivers money on every litre.

Our fuel cards offer a range of unique benefits, with some including nationwide coverage while others offer flexible payment terms. Read our article on how to compare fuel cards if you aren’t quite sure which product is right for you, or contact our experts for further advice or a consultation that takes into account your business’ specific needs (and routes).

If you’re serious about making efficiencies, you may also enjoy our range of professional fleet services that are designed to make it easier for you, as an operator, to manage and overcome everyday challenges on the roads. Our services include:

• MyService.Expert – simplifying your vehicle maintenance and servicing. With our service, you can select from a range of garages near you and book in to gain access to our pre-negotiated servicing and maintenance rates.
• MyDriveSafe.Expert – Our app which enables the quick and hassle-free reporting of vehicle defects, and allowing your drivers to run through a series of easy-to-follow checks.

View our fleet services to sense-check your operation and see how we could help save you money.

Branding your vans with some appealing signage is a great way to advertise your business, but does it have a negative impact on your insurance?

Many businesses might not think about the consequences of adding signwriting to their vans, since the change is only cosmetic. However, it is still a modification. Different insurance companies take different stances on whether additional branding should increase or decrease your premiums, so it is important to check with your insurer.

Why you should let your insurer know if you add branding

Whatever your insurer’s stance is on van branding, you still need to let them know – even if this means additional costs.

Van signage is still classed as a modification. If your insurer were to find out you’d added a new spoiler without letting them know, they would be within their right to void the insurance. Well, it’s the same for van signage.

If your vehicle was damaged in an accident and your branding needed repairing, but your insurer didn’t know about it, they could refuse to pay for any of your repairs.

So, regardless of your insurer’s stance on van branding, it is in your best interest to let them know about it.

Will you need to pay more for insurance with van branding?

To complicate things, this depends entirely on which insurance company you are with.

Traditionally, any modification will increase your premiums. This is because, regardless of the mod itself, they generally mean increased costs during repairs.

Since it is just cosmetic, branding may not have too much on impact on repair costs, but since they fall under the same category as other modifications, it’s safe to assume you will have to pay more to have them.

However, there are additional considerations.

Certain insurers take the stance that your branding makes your van more of a target for thieves. By advertising your business, it leads thieves to believe that there must be valuable goods inside, such as tools and equipment.

Since certain insurers think that your van is more likely to be broken into, they will raise your insurance premiums.

On the other hand, some insurers take a completely different stance. They view branding as a deterrent for theft. Perhaps a potential thief will see the signwriting and believe that any crime committed against that business would be taken more seriously by the police, so it isn’t worth their time.

On top of this, there is an argument that business owners driving a vehicle with their business advertised on it will drive more carefully. If a van with their branding was involved in an accident, that could damage the business’ public image.

For those two reasons, it’s possible that an insurance company would look favourably upon van signwriting.

Do your research

If you are already insured with a particular company, get in touch with them. It’s important to understand the implications of adding signage to your vehicle. You don’t want to spend £500 on well-designed signwriting, only to find you’ve completely voided your insurance!

On the other hand, if your vehicle has signwriting on it and you are looking for insurance, you’re in the best position. You can find a company that will look favourably on the branding, rather than charge you more.

Is it even worth getting van signwriting?

Given that it can be confusing to discern how van branding can impact our insurance, you may decide to just leave your vehicle blank.

However, there is an argument that signwriting is some of the best, cost-effective advertising you can get.

Put it this way – imagine you’ve spent £365 on some simple signage. You’re driving this vehicle most days, and when you’re not driving it may still be visible to those driving past it.

That’s £1 per day to get your business seen by hundreds, if not thousands of people every single week. Perhaps paying a little extra for van insurance is worth this incredible advertising boost.

How can Fuel Card Services help?

Putting signage on your van is a great way to boost business and revenue. However, if you haven’t been making the effort to save on fuel costs, this revenue could be being wasted!

With a fuel card from Fuel Card Services, you could save up to 10p per litre on fuel. You’ll also save time with consolidated HMRC approved invoices.

Get in touch today and see how we could help your business.