All Company cars articles – Page 42

  • Article

    Small fleets unconcerned by green issues

    1 May 2007

    Employers with fleets of less than 100 company cars do not see environmental issues as a key concern.instead, some of their key issues include: driver licence checking; making employees aware of the smoking ban; risk management issues; keeping on top of fleet administration and reducing overall vehicle operating costs. Environmental ...

  • Article

    Vigilance needed when vetting overseas driving licences

    1 May 2007

    Employers should carefully check the driving licences of foreign staff who are eligible for company cars in the UK or they may risk prosecution if these are subsequently found to be invalid.Many foreign drivers are thought to be on the roads illegally because employers have no robust procedures to check ...

  • Article

    Hybrid vehicles can reduce company's tax load

    1 May 2007

    Company car tax is increasingly based on green credentials, so hybrid vehicles can lighten an organisation’s tax load, says Jenny KeefeWhile Leonardo DiCaprio is frequently snapped driving around LA in his eco-friendly Toyota Prius, hybrid cars are still a rare sight in UK car parks. Yet picking a hybrid can ...

  • Article

    JVC switches to green cars

    1 May 2007

    JVC has changed its contract hire provider to encourage more of its 120 fleet drivers to use environmentally-friendly cars.Its new provider, Tuskerdirect, offers cars that emit no more than 169g of carbon dioxide per kilometre, which meets the requirements of the electronic firm's environmental policy. An online tool enables JVC's ...

  • Article

    More than half of organisations are unprepared for proposed manslaughter bill

    1 May 2007

    Just over half (51%) of organisations are not prepared for the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Bill, yet over a third (38%) think that it will affect them when it comes into force. The Bill is due to come into effect from 1 July.A further 48% that are aware of ...

  • Article

    HMRC consultation open on Amaps

    1 May 2007

    HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has published an open letter asking for comment on three possible changes to the current structure of Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (Amaps).In looking at possible ways that the current structure of Amaps might be changed, HMRC indicates it will be looking at: an option for ...

  • Case Studies

    Conchango offers its staff Amaps

    1 May 2007

    Business and technology consultancy Conchango ditched its company car scheme, after it became too costly and complex.The Egham-based company, which employs 300 people in the UK, now offers authorised mileage allowances for staff (Amaps). Mike Altendorf, CEO at Conchango UK, says: "We moved to this current model from the fleet ...

  • Article

    Grosvenor launches online risk management system

    1 April 2007

    Grosvenor Contract Leasing has launched an online fleet risk-management system.Its web-based Go4 product, which is aimed at fleet managers and drivers that are permitted to choose their own vehicles, includes a licence-checking facility and reminder service of when an employee's road tax and insurance is due. It costs between £2.50 ...

  • Article

    Environmental issues impact on fleet policy

    1 April 2007

    Environmental issues are having an impact on employers' company car policies. Just under a quarter (22%) have adopted a green transport policy, while a further 40% encourage staff to car share. More than a quarter (27%), meanwhile, have restricted drivers' choices to lower consumption diesel engines, according to the Company ...

  • Article

    Small cars safer to park

    1 April 2007

    Medium and large-sized company cars are 300% more likely to be involved in accidents while trying to park than smaller cars.Just 6% of executive cars have been involved in parking incidents over the past 12 months according to the Parking damage survey by fleet management firm Masterlease. The average cost ...

  • Analysis

    Administering contract hire schemes

    1 April 2007

    Putting a fleet out to contract hire is popular because the chosen leasing firm takes on the day-to-day administration and contact issues with employees, but be sure to have policy input, says Nick GoldingIf you read nothing else read this...A contract hire scheme is where a company hires a car ...

  • Article

    Corporate Manslaughter Act is ""missed opportunity""

    1 April 2007

    The Corporate Manslaughter and Homicide Bill was awaiting Royal Assent to become an Act as Employee Benefits went to press. David Urpeth, partner at solicitors firm Irwin Mitchell, said the government had "missed an opportunity" by not including individual liability for senior managers. Instead, organisations will be fined if the ...

  • Article

    Employers must ensure they use new fuel rates

    1 March 2007

    Employers should ensure that they are now using the new advisory fuel rates, which came into effect on 1 March.These apply where employers reimburse employees for business travel in their company cars or where staff repay the cost of fuel used for private travel.The rates now range from 6p per ...

  • Article

    Cost control is key for smaller fleets

    1 March 2007

    The most popular question asked by managers of small company car fleets of leasing brokers is how to reduce running costs, according to 89% of brokers surveyed on the issue by the Network Broker Forum. At the other end of the scale, just 11% of brokers said they perceived small ...

  • Analysis

    Can eco-friendly LPG cars succeed?

    1 March 2007

    Lack of government support and a paucity of infrastructure investment from fuel firms is dashing the hopes of eco-friendly LPG vehicle users, says Nick GoldingIf you read nothing else, read this ...LPG has not taken off in the popularity stakes due to limited backing by the government, manufacturers and fuel ...

  • Article

    Employees split over caring for company cars

    1 March 2007

    Almost a quarter of employees (24%) believe that the financial risk associated with switching to a personal vehicle would be the worst thing about losing their right to a company car.According to Risk and reward 2007 by fleet provider Alphabet, a further 20% felt that the hassle of maintaining their ...

  • Article

    Green focus on budget?

    1 March 2007

    Under the government’s draft Climate Change Bill, which was unveiled yesterday, employers will have to take measures to reduce their carbon footprint. But the issue is unlikely to top the agenda in next Wednesday's Budget announcement, say benefits experts.Nevertheless, they think Gordon Brown will tinker with the level of tax ...

  • Article

    Budget predicted to tax staff car parking spaces

    1 March 2007

    Current tax breaks on employee car parking spaces could be removed in this year's Budget on 21 March.Car parking is currently a tax-free benefit, but tax experts have predicted that it could soon be taxed as a benefit in kind.By taxing employees who park at work the government could actively ...

  • Analysis

    Is it the board's responsibility to steer fleet management?

    1 March 2007

    Historically the company car, indeed personal business mobility, have not always been regarded as a board issue, but that may be about to change, says professor Peter Cooke, head of the Centre for Automotive Industries Management, Nottingham, Business School.Economist Sir Nicholas Stern's recent report that stated that global warming could ...

  • Analysis

    Treat cars as a strategic HR asset and you'll motor

    1 March 2007

    This article is brought to you by Alphabet.Cars don't just help employees do their job, they reinforce the psychological contract that is so important in achieving goals in both retention and productivity terms, says Richard Schooling, commercial director, AlphabetCars offer huge potential to HR departments seeking to support smarter, stronger ...