With our wealth of experience in the Plant, Machiney & Construction Insurance sectors, Andrew Bourne & Co will be actively targeting clients in these sectors throughout 2013 and 2014.

Watch out for our new marketing material, coming soon!

Heavy Plant Hirers & Waste Recycling Contractors, beware the markets are vastly declining following a number of high profile losses being incurred by insurers – Please contact David J Crowther – Director at Andrew Bourne & Co, if you would like some expert independent advice and a free review of your insurance programme – Tel: 0116 272 0770 / 07536117804 / david.crowther@abourne.com

Please refer to the following link www.commercialmotor.com/news-and-blogs

A total of 180 applications have been approved by the Department for Transport (DfT) for next year’s trial of longer semi-trailers, CM can reveal.

The breakdown consists of hauliers, own-account operators and trailer manufacturers, which between them will pilot the use of 1,811 longer semi-trailers on UK roads.

While larger operators have been granted the most longer semi-trailers in pure number terms as expected, the DfT has been true to its word and spread the allocation widely between operators large and small, with no single entity having more than 8% of the total.
(source: Commercial Motor.Com)

The CIE (Continuous Insurance Enforcement) legislation has now commenced, with warning letters being issued to registered keepers of uninsured vehicles from the end of June 2011. 

What does this actually mean?

 The new CIE law makes it an offence to keep an uninsured vehicle, unless it is SORN (Statuatory Off Road Notification) or otherwise exempt.

What will happen if your vehicle doesn’t have insurance?

From the end of June 2011 Insurance Advisory Letters (IAL) will be issued by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau to the registered keepers of uninsured vehicles. This will be following a check of the Motor Insurance Database (MID) – the UK’s central record of vehicle insurance. The IAL will advise the registered keeper that their vehicle appears to have no insurance and what actions to take to avoid receiving a fixed penalty from DVLA.

If a vehicle does not have insurance, the registered keeper could:

• receive a fixed penalty of £100
• have their vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded, or destroyed 
• face a court prosecution, with a possible maximum fine of £1000

Payment of a penalty does not replace the need for motor insurance.

Please refer to the Motoring Section of the Direct Gov website for further details: www.direct.gov.uk

For more information, contact David J Crowther, 0116 272 0770.

 Do you know your Duty of Care responsibilities?

Employers are legally responsible for the health & safety of employees that are premises based, involved in manual and/or site work as well as those who’s primary role is to drive for a living. Drivers of Commercial vehicles and HGV’s are the engine of haulage and transport companies but it is not uncommon to see gaps in their companies policies, ultimately leaving the company open to legal action in the event of a serious loss. Road accidents are on the increase and many cause serious injuries or even deat . It is therefore vital that your housekeeping measures are current and regularly reviewed to adhere to your Duty of Care responsibilites for your employees on the road. Andrew Bourne & Co are specialist haulage insurance providers working closely with Haulage and Transport companies in implementing these procedures.

Key Considerations; 

Management Policies, Driver Safety, Vehicle Safety and Journey Planning 

Andrew Bourne & Co are brokers who understand the Haulage and Transport industry having arranged insurance policies for over 25 years. Making sure businesses comply with their legal requirements is all part of our service offering. Please contact our specialist David Crowther on Tel: 0116 272 0770 or email: david.crowther@abourne.com

In April 2008 the “Corporate Manslaughter & Corporate Homicide Act 2007″ came in to force. This act is linked directly with Health & Safety requirements. Under the Act,  health & safety legislation means”any statutory provision dealing with health & safety matters”. This therefore applies to transport and workplace safety as enforced by HSE and local authorities.

This legislation has a direct affect on Haulage customers as well as many other sectors but ultimately it is essential that the management of your risk forms a key part of your Haulage Insurance negotiations. We would raise the question of whether they do currently or whether this has been discussed with you by your existing broker?

Some basic requirements like operating an up to date drivers company handbook, having clear and defined accident procedures in place, making sure driving licences are checked regularly and operating a system for daily / weekly vehicle checks are all part and parcel of your internal systems and controls. 

These measures, whilst basic, are an integral part of complying with your  responsibilities but they are relatively easy to implement if you are receiving suitable advice and support  from your existing provider. If you recoginise this as a gap and one that could ultimately mean you are liable, act now and contact Andrew Bourne & Co who specialise in Haulage Insurance. Please contact David Crowther on 07536 117804 or email him on david.crowther@abourne.com

Andrew Bourne & Co provide Risk Management advice and guidance to support your legal obligations and in direct conjunction offer bespoke financial packages for Haulage and Transportation customers who are looking for a partnership approach to their insurances.

Andrew Bourne & Company has learnt that VOSA has vowed to implement stringent vehicle checks as part of a crack down on rogue HGV/ Haulage drivers.  It has emerged that VOSA are barred from having permanent vehicle inspection facilities at the port of Liverpool and three other ports across the U.K due to private ownership. A spokesperson from the Port of Liverpool refuted the claim and confirmed that VOSA did indeed carry out regular inspections on site.

A recent vehicle inspection led to three drivers being arrested and several vehicles taken off the road. The drivers were arrested under suspicion of driving outside of the licensing authority. Several vehicles were seized due to being unroadworthy or uninsured.
Andrew Bourne & Company are a leading haulage insurance brokers in Leicester.

For further information please contact our Haulage specialist David Crowther on 07536 117804 or david.crowther@abourne.com

A suggested relaxation related to the delivery curfews could see emmisions reduced by up to 300%.  By not travelling at peak times, it would mean reduced congestion on the roads with less traffic for HGV’s to compete with journey times could be cut quite drastically.

With ever growing pressure to cut our carbon foot print, haulage firms are continually looking for ways to be more “green” on our highways. The suggestion is that with the relaxation on deliveries the roads would become far less congested. Driving HGV vehicles during the night would in turn reduce the amount of time it takes between deliveries.

The main argument against the proposals suggest that whilst night time deliveries may reduce carbon emissions and help delivery times, the noise of a HGV vehicle passing through the streets in the early hours will be a pollution in itself.

For further information please contact our Haulage specialist David Crowther on 07536 117804 or david.crowther@abourne.com

Handy iPhone application to help insurance claims launched

Andrew Bourne,  Leicester based insurance brokers have leared that iPhone users there is a handy new application which is being supported by the insurance industry including MORE TH>N.  It is designed to help drivers who are involved in accidents including haulage companies.

Currently 38% of drivers fail to record sufficient third party details in the aftermath of a collision.  The new Car Claim accident tool is the first of its kind in the UK. The software guides a driver through safety precautions at the roadside and reminds users to gather vital information at the scene, taking photographs where necessary.

The application also comes with a facility to upload a driver’s location through Global Positioning System and data can be emailed by the user right away.

Car Claim can be downloaded free of charge from Apple App store.