Running Smoothly

When it comes to managing risks its one of the most paramountly important things a company needs to be aware of.

The role of the corporate treasury has changed. The credit crisis has resulted in decreased availability of funding, and corporations need to leverage internal cash, minimizing external cash requirements at all times. With the current cost of funding being very high, corporations must have efficient internal funding methods, and global visibility of all available cash to achieve this efficiency. They need to control exposures with counterparties and have good connectivity to all their banks, trading platforms and accounting systems. To reduce their costs and manage risk, corporations need to leverage their use of technology more now than ever before.

When it comes to making sure that your organisation is running smoothly a Treasury Management System is required – not that I know anything about them.

Its fair to say that the budget released today will effect the corporations – in what ways will soon be found out. All I can say on the matter is ‘by heck’ I want them to suffer!

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To be Aware of If you just pass your driving test

In keeping with the theme of this blog Introducing Calamity I thought it was probably about time to input an article about the possible calamity which is caused by people who learn to drive and then promptly go out and drive a lot at the sake of others.

Below is an excellent guide from the Site which includes text …information  from YCP a pocket-sized guide to the law. It provides useful legal advice and information about many of the situations you may encounter. For further information please contact the Citizenship Foundation on 020 7367 0500.

Information passed onto me today suggests that if you want to use a rental service such as van hire or car rental then you will need to be 25…

Learning to drive

The licence

It is an offence to drive a car or ride a motor cycle without the correct licence. You get a full licence when you have passed your test, which will be valid until you are 70. After this, drivers must pass a medical, and a licence is issued for three years at a time. New licences are now the size of a credit card, containing the holder’s photograph. If you already hold a paper licence, you do not need to change it to the new format. If you want to learn to drive, first obtain a provisional licence.

Application forms are available from a post office. When you get your licence, sign it immediately – don’t drive until you’ve done so. Car drivers and motorcyclists can hold the same provisional licence until they are 70. When you are learning to drive you must display L plates, which should be removed or covered up when the vehicle is not being driven by a learner driver. Learner drivers must not ride or drive on a motorway.

At what age?

• At 14 you can ride an electrically powered cycle.
• At 16 you can ride a moped up to 50ccs, a small tractor or mowing machine or invalid car. If you receive a mobility allowance you can also drive a car.
• At 17 you can drive a car with up to 8 passengers, a motorcycle, a large tractor and a van or lorry up to 3.5 tons.
• At 18 you can drive a van or lorry up to 7.5 tons.
• At 21 you can drive all other vehicles. For hiring a car, most car hire companies have a minimum age of 21 or 23.

Learning to drive a car

The driving test is in two parts, a written theory and a practical test. The theory paper, which must be passed before the practical test, lasts 40 minutes and is made up of 35 multiple-choice questions. The theory test can be taken on a weekday, evening or Saturday at one of the 140 centres throughout the country.

As a learner driver, you must have someone with you in the front passenger seat of the car who is over 21 and has held a full driving licence for at least three years. This person must be fit to drive and must not have had more than the legal amount of alcohol.

Learning to drive a motorcycle

Motorcyclists also have to take both a written theory and practical test to gain a full licence unless they already have a full car licence, when only the practical test must be taken. Before you can ride a motorcycle on the road you must have successfully completed a Compulsory Basic Training Course, and will be limited to a motor-cycle of no more than 125cc. After passing the practical test, you are restricted to bike with a power output of up to 25kw or 33 bhp for 2 years, after which you may ride any size of bike. Riders over the age of 21, however, who don’t want to wait this long before riding a larger bike have a choice of further tests, known as direct and accelerated access.

MOT

Most vehicles which are three years old or more must be tested for an MOT certificate it they are to be used on the road.

Road tax

A car or motorbike which is either being used or allowed to stand on the road must display a current tax disc. The fine for breaking this regulation is normally about twice the cost of the disc. Cars over 25 years old do not need a road tax disc. It is a crime to use a tax disc belonging to another vehicle.

Insurance

It is an offence to drive, ride or even place a motor vehicle on the road without insurance. The penalties for this are very heavy, and it makes no difference for someone to say it was a genuine mistake and that they thought they were insured. Failure to have insurance means a fine and penalty points on a licence, and maybe disqualification. It is also an offence for someone to allow their car or bike to be used by a person who is not insured to drive it. There are three different kinds of motor insurance, offering different levels of cover:

• Third party insurance: only pays for damage caused to other people or their property. This is the minimum level of insurance cover required by law;
• Third party fire and theft: gives you further protection by covering you against theft or fire damage to your own vehicle;
• Fully comprehensive insurance: is usually the most expensive, but covers the cost of accident repair damage to your own vehicle as well as compensating others for injuries or damage in the accident.

When you apply for any insurance, make sure the information you give is accurate. If it’s not, your insurance will be invalid. It’s an offence knowingly to make a false statement to obtain insurance.

This

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Leasing a Vehicle?

Before I set of on my epic holiday which consisted of me doing pretty much nothing I wrote about a Van Hire Guide which seemed to go down fairly well. Now I know everyone in their life pretty much has to rent a vehicle at least once.

I noticed this excellent article on the Pros and Cons of leasing a vehicle Vs. the benefit of using a car hire service.

What are the biggest factors you would consider when you buy, rent, or lease a car? Cost, model, miles, locations?

Recently I have been thinking about the benefits of perhaps lack of benefit to using a leasing service as opposed to a rental firm.

Well in the end it might not necessarily be one that is obvious. A large number of people are opting to book their travel or transportation online. Its always important to consider that your time is money and ensuring that you use a service that is both quick and intuitive should obviously be in your best interests. This should be double true for web pages. There is nothing more frustrating then attempting to give a company or agency your money only for them to apparently go out of their way to make it as time consuming and confusing as possible. More so when its a computer you cant reason with for something that should be simple.

Even after you get through the stage of finding and booking the right service for you, there is the pros and cons of leasing a Car vs Renting one. Car Rental and Van Hire provides a number of benefits such as the insurance cover, not having to worry about cleaning or upkeep of the engine, as well as having no long term obligations.

Leasing is much more of a long term system like renting by the month. Paying the leasing company monthly for the best running two or three years of the vehicle’s life. By the end of that you bring it back to the dealership and lease another new one, or not.

A downside to the lease though is that the maintenance falls on your head, the vehicles condition must be maintained inside and out. If not you are liable to pay excess wear-and-tear charges that would crimp any savings. So leasing is not the ideal choice for those who are messy or if you have kids.

There is also a limit to the number of miles in your lease contract, typically 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year. If you drive more than that, you’ll have to pay an excess mileage penalty of 10 cents to as much as 25 cents for every additional mile. On the other hand, if you drive too little, you don’t get credit for the unused miles. Lastly if you break the lease contract before its end you could potentially be indetbed in the thousands, for early termination fees and penalties-all due at once. Which could be equal the amount total had you stuck with the lease for its entire term.

It’s important to consider these pros and cons very carefully.

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The Ultimate Van Hire Guide

Image of 1st ever driving license Wikipedia

Van Hire Guide

Looking to hire a van and not sure where to start? If so, take a look at our van hire guide. Here you will find useful information on everything from driver requirements, to insurance and driving tips.

Type and size of hire van

It is important to plan ahead and decide what you will be putting in the van. How much space will you need? Do you need to take everything with you? How heavy are the items you need to transport? Make sure you check the load space of the vehicle you are hiring and measure all large items you are transporting. Additionally, check the weight limit of the van. Hire a larger van if space is at a premium. It may cost more to rent a larger vehicle, but it will mean that you will make fewer journeys, saving on fuel and time.

Driver requirements

The driver will generally be required to be over 21. There may also be additional charges for drivers over 65 and those that are under 25. Younger drivers may be restricted in the choice of vehicles that they can drive. You may also receive extra checks and charges if you have had a conviction of accident in the last few years.

When collecting your hire van, you will often be required to have the following documents:

• Valid driver’s license for ALL named drivers (no copies). You will probably be asked to provide both the paper and card parts of your licence.
• Photo ID. This can be a valid passport, valid government-issued identity card or a valid EU national identity card. Other outlets may only require a utility bill as a second form of identity.
• A valid credit or debit card.

Insurance

Always make sure that you have valid insurance cover in case of an accident (and for any other people who will be driving). This may seem unnecessary; however the chances of you having an accident are higher, as you are driving a vehicle that is unfamiliar than larger than the one currently drive.

The minimum cover you will legally have in your contract is third party cover, which is usually quoted in the price. This will cover any damages to vehicles or person if the accident was found to be your fault. On top of this cover, it is recommended to have a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW). The waiver covers against damage to the vehicle that you may make yourself and any repairs that are needed.

Finally read the small print and comply with the company’s terms and conditions.

Fuel

This varies from company to company, but generally if fuel is not covered in your rental agreement, then you should return the van with the same amount of fuel that was in it when you picked it up.

Driving tips

Remember that your van will be wider, heavier and higher than the car you currently drive. This means that it will be less stable and will take longer to slow down. Familiarise yourself with the mirror set up on the van, as you will have blind spots on that may not have had before. This means that you will need to exercise more care in overtaking and pulling out onto the road. When parking, make sure you use your rear view mirrors and get someone to help you if you are not confident or unsure.

Additionally, don’t forget to consult the Highway Code for information on speed limits for vans, as it is important that you know where and when they apply.

Its probably worth noting that if you are the type who (stupidly) likes to take calls whilst on the road, its probably best not to do it in a rental vehicle, as the consequences could be even bigger then before.

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