Low Cost Vans

Well 2016 is very nearly behind us. From Brexit to Trump, to talk of Toblerone bars getting smaller (you may remember the space between the triangles was increased), there was no shortage of news about change on the horizon. We might not know what’s around the corner but no doubt it’s going to be an interesting year politically and as ever, technologically. And the clever bods at PwC have an interesting perspective on what this uncertainty may mean in reality. They think that this will result in the auto industry working out how to better match what they produce alongside changing demands. So in practice this could mean grabbing the recent popularity in SUVs and superminis to create more small SUVs. So... what do you think could be the perfect auto hybrid? Might be a good conversation starter if the festive season has left you a bit zoned out. It has to be something that consumers have never considered but want it the moment they’ve seen it. Enjoy the rest of the year and see you in 20

Working for Low Cost Vans it’s no surprise that I feel a certain affinity for van drivers on the road; even if I am passing them in my convertible. But at this time of year if I see a big distribution van going past, I am even more interested in where they’re going and what they’ve been up to that day. Around 260 million parcels were delivered around November and December last year as Christmas shoppers decided to leave their own four wheels at home and shop from their armchair. It’s high demand and it’s not so much the vans I’m worried about, it’s the drivers. Earlier this year a BBC reporter went uncover as a driver at Amazon where he was told that drivers are expected to deliver up to 200 parcels a day. Not only was the workload intense, the reporter said he received the equivalent of £4.76 a month during his second week there - nowhere near the minimum wage. Of course this doesn’t mean that all drivers for distribution companies are facing bad conditions, but the change in the way

You may be thankful to hear that the most dangerous day on the roads - 5 December - is now behind us. But without wanting to sound like a party pooper, this doesn’t mean it’s time to think that we’re in the clear for this time of year. The most dangerous day date, which was revealed by Co-op Insurance, came about after the company analysed insurance claims. The reason for the date? A culmination of factors really - icy roads, people rushing off on shopping trips, darker nights... Now the last time I looked, all those factors were still around. And judging by the police launching December campaigns across the UK about drink and drug driving, it’s clear that there’s still scope for things to go seriously wrong. So I’m going to share a top tip that we do at Low Cost Vans that might help… A big part of the police efforts to keeping the roads safe at Christmas is breathalysing tests - doctors say that even small amounts of alcohol in the system can slow reactions and increase the risk of ac

As the guys at work know, I’ll take any opportunity to jump in one of our vans. I feel a lot more confident in the high driving position and of course it can be quite fun to peep into people’s gardens. And it seems that I’m not the only one that enjoys the birds eye view - SUVs now account for 24.4% of the total European market. But is the UK ready for this increase in popularity? Possibly not. Recent research by Accident Exchange links a 35% rise in minor prangs to SUVs. This is interesting when one of the reasons that they’re popular is due to a feeling of increased security… So is it because drivers are too busy being nosy in their high driving position? No, it’s because of parking bays! When those little square boxes were drawn up, cars were on average much smaller. The average UK parking bay is 4.8m long and 2.4m wide, but SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class are more than 5m long and nearly 2m wide. This causes all sorts of complications; their bottoms stick out onto the road