Fleet Management | Fleetcare

Fuel Cards for Small Business - How, why and where you’ll save money

Posted: 30/04/2013 By: Rory Deegan - Online marketing executive
Comments: (3)
Categories: | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

At times, the troubles of managing a small business can be overwhelming. Every entrepreneur eventually realises that running a business is about more than simply going to the wall with a great idea. Logistics, employee management, taxes, and production problems will pose obstacles along the way. The wise small business owner will find ways to simplify and streamline their operation, minimising these problems as much as possible. Fuel... Read More

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Fleet finance options explained

Posted: 11/04/2013 By: Kirsten Brent - Marketing Assistant
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Categories: | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

When looking for ways to finance your vehicle fleet, it is easy to get bogged down in technical jargon, making it difficult to break down the facts and get a clear and simple comparison. In deciding which finance method is best for your fleet and business, it is important to fully understand the differences between the different funding options. This article aims to make the decision process easy, laying out the different types of... Read More

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6 Strategies to Cut Your Fleet Management Costs Right Now

Posted: 28/03/2013 By: Kirsten Brent - Marketing Assistant
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Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management

As fuel costs rise and the economy continues to stumble, managing a fleet becomes more difficult. Many businesses must now operate with a reduced fleet management budget, and many need to find creative ways to be profitable and ensure the long-term health of the operation. With that in mind, we consider six strategies that have helped achieve that success. 1. Find Inefficiencies in Actual Costs Budget reduction does not necessarily... Read More

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The know how guides – Changing a wheel

Posted: 15/02/2013 By: Maintenance department and Rory Deegan
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Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

For many a flat tyre is an absolute nightmare, just the thought of pulling to the side of the road on a wet and windy day is enough to make most grimace. For the experienced hand the whole thing can be done in under 5 minutes, however for the novice it can be intimidating enough to ruin an entire day. While many feel confident and secure about changing a wheel, there are many who feel worried that one simple mistake could cause a... Read More

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Car security explored

With the exception of the 2011/12 financial year, car thefts have been falling for the past 10 years. Like the dramatic falls in car related fatalities, huge improvementshave been seen in thearea but as long as cars are still being stolen and unrecoved there is still room for improvement. With all that in mind we thought we would go through some of the important features which may help in your efforts to protect your car. What are the... Read More

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Are you distracting your own drivers?

Posted: 11/01/2013 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Executive
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

On my way home from the airport recently I took a shuttle bus to the city centre. While the trip was relatively uneventful, it did give me a major insight into how some commercial drivers (in this case a bus driver) are being distracted by their work. My driver, while very friendly and helpful, was constantly distracted by an array of pick up rosters, questions and comments from his radio and at one stage a full scale mobile phone call... Read More

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The Australian auto industry - Where to now?

2012 will be remembered by Australian car people as the year the car sales market bounced back, but what about the locally made Australian cars? The surprising fact is that locally built car sales were up on 2011, however as a portion of the total sales they are down slightly. What's most worrying is the general sales trend. Locally made cars as a percentage of total sales have been falling for years now, and the current range of... Read More

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Tips on driver training and education

Posted: 09/11/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Executive
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Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | Occupational Health & Safety

Right, so let’s get one thing straight right from the start. This is not an article about learning how to drive or learning how to drive in a new type vehicle like a motorbike or a heavy goods vehicle. This is an article all about education and training courses you may want to think about to get the most value from your fleet and fleet drivers. Equipping drivers with additional driving skills can mean the difference between cars... Read More

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Fleet management terms explained – The job of the fleet coordinator

Posted: 26/10/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Executive
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Categories: | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | GPS tracking

In the course of my time working and writing on fleet management I have come across some unique job titles. Considering that the industry itself is relatively young this is not a major surprise, however that doesn’t help the uninitiated. For those in the know terms like fleet manager, fleet coordinator and fleet accountant seem to make perfect sense. For those new to the industry on the other hand, these terms can be confusing.... Read More

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A note on the calculators involved in a novated lease

Posted: 12/10/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Executive
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Categories: | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | Leasing

Making a big purchase decision is both a time consuming and resource consuming activity. When it comes to the tools you use to prepare for the purchase analysis it’s important you know what can offer an insight and what cannot. It’s equally important to understand specifically what each tool will tell you and whether or not the results will bring you usable information. With all this in mind we thought we would write up a... Read More

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Expanding your vehicle fleet – Some top tips to manage fleet growth

Posted: 05/10/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Executive
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Categories: | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | GPS tracking

For many, the transition from one or two company vehicles to a full fleet can be slow, careful and easy to manage. For many others however, this process can be sudden and scaling up in a very short time period can cause real difficulty. When a significant number of new vehicles are added, spotting problems, maintenance issues and even fraud can become a real chore. In these cases the slow trickle of receipts from one or two cars turns... Read More

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The Modest Odometer

So it sits there, glaring back at us, pleading with us to explore it, understand it and get some usefrom it. We, on the other hand, ignore it and move on with our daily lives. “It” is the vehicle odometer figure which we, on most occasions, routinely ignore. For the most part ignoring the many seemingly random figures it presents is normal. However occasionally there is something to be learned from the figures under our... Read More

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Vehicle imports examined - China

Posted: 21/09/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Executive
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Car Review | Fleet Management | Survey Results

"One Chinese newcomer to the local car market is racing out of the showrooms and defying critics sceptical of cheap imports". Those were the words of a Channel Ten News presenter covering a special report on Great Wall Motors, a relatively newentrant to the Australian vehiclemarket. Leaving aside the curiously high level of enthusiasm inthis reportfrom April 2011, we decided to look into the facts and figures behind these relatively new... Read More

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The top selling cars under the microscope - fuel economy

This Olympic season we were all introduced to something new. This year’s Olympicmedal table got looked at through many new lenses, including medals per head of population, medals per funding dollar and so on. This got us thinking; perhaps we should take a deeper look at the usual top selling vehicles with a little more depth? With this in mind we decided to take the top 30 selling vehicles and make a list of the 10 least fuel... Read More

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Changing Times - Logbooks and FBT

2011 and 2012 were years of big change in the Australian tax landscape. The headlines were grabbed by new costs on carbon and proposals for mining profits taxes. While all this was happening a major shift also occurred in the area of FBT (Fringe Benefit Tax). In short the new situation will see the rates of FBT flattened to 20% across all kilometre ranges from 1 April 2014. What made the change remarkable was the fact that the... Read More

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Thinking points - The company pool cars

“Pool cars are amazing, they can don’t need oil, maintenance or even cleaning”. Those were the tongue in cheek words of one of Fleetcare’s account managers. For the most part businesses pool cars (fleet cars which can be used by all authorised company drivers) get a raw deal. In many cases they don’t get the care and attention they need and at resale time businesses can lose thousands. Like many company... Read More

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Drink driving laws - The new landscape

"Alcohol is currently a factor in almost a third of crashes in which people are killed and seriously injured on Western Australian roads,'' those were the words of WA Police and Road Safety Minister, Liza Harvey. The minister delivered the frankly shocking statistic in an interview where she went on to explain the new crackdown on drink driving in the Wildflower State. The crackdown, which mainly rotates around the confiscating of... Read More

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Petrol vs LPG - A fair fight?

So we’ve done other comparisons, we’ve looked into the differences between petrol types and we've reviewed many models.However, not yet have we compared Petrol with its much discussed competitor; LPG. LPG or liquefied petroleum gas has been an alternative tofor a long time however it has never truly dented petrol’s dominance of the fuel marketplace. Currently there are only two major manufacturers, Ford and Holden,... Read More

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Extra! Extra! Our top ten optional vehicle extras

Ah the extras. From the inflatable aeroplane pillow to the marble counter top, they allow us to personalise and adapt to the world around us. They can be for safety, comfort or just for show. Whatever their purpose they play a big part in our lives and nowhere is this more evident than in the much discussed vehicle market. Vehicle extras have come a long way over the years, especially when you consider staples like seatbelts and airbags... Read More

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The high octane debate, what petrol are you?

So we’ve all been there, staring blankly at the pump and thinking to ourselves “91 or 95?”. Despite how confusing this may look the explanation is relatively simple. The higher the number, the higher the level of octane. Most petrol engines can accept all types of petrol, however more and more manufactures are recommending specific types. It’s also worth pointing out that there are other specialist petrol fuels... Read More

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Ten things you might not have known about ANCAP

Have you ever seen those little stars at the bottom of a car review? Ok, so you know what they are, and you know they're from ANCAP (Australasian New Car Assessment Program)but have you any idea of the ins and outs of how cars are tested? While many will have seen the super slow-mo collisions, not many will have heard some of the intricate details of the tests. This week we look for ten of the most interesting elements behind these... Read More

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Breaking in a new vehicle - A quick guide

Posted: 25/05/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
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Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | Occupational Health & Safety

You’re in your new car. Your finance has cleared and you're ready to go. All of a sudden the dealer’s mechanic makes the “wind your windows down” signal. Prepare yourself, he or she is about to potentially take all the fun out of your first 1000km. As annoying or overcautious as this advice may seem, the mechanic is doing you a huge favour. Poor care during the first thousand or so kilometres can have a real... Read More

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A lot on your mind? Navigating fleet management for SME’s

Posted: 18/05/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
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Categories: | Technology | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

“What's involved in fleet management exactly?” This is a question we get all the time. The common misconception is that it focuses on holding onto car keys and passing them on to the next person when a company car is needed. Fleet management is much more than holding the keys, so to speak. For the small to medium sized business, fleet management ranges from day to day fuel management all the way to remarketing of company... Read More

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Budget 2012 for the car owner

There is no getting away from it; the Gillard government is very unpopular at the moment. The Labor party has a primary vote of 27 precent and things are simply not getting any better. With all of this playing on the minds of the Labor front bench, they have conceivedwhatis called the “battlers budget”. While commentators up and down the country analyse the implications in general terms we have taken a closer look from an... Read More

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Crisis? What crisis? - Is the auto industry back to boom times?

The 4th of December 2007 was a very cold day in Detroit. GM CEO Rick Wagoner woke up, joined the heads of Chrysler and Ford and drove to Washington to beg for the survival of their industry. Something was clearly rotten in the city of Detroit. While big changes and big progress has been made since that dark day the question still remains; Is the auto industry out of crisis yet? Is the crisis over? The short answer is yes, but nothing... Read More

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Vehicle recalls – The need to know guide

"This can result in the electrical system malfunctioning, the vehicle failing to start and, in some cases, charring or fire,". Those were the words of BMW on their most recent recall of around 1.3 million vehicles. While this latest recall is not the largest ormost dangerous on record it does give us a chance to discuss the subject. Indeed it's this very subject which gives car designers and fleet managers unending nightmares the world... Read More

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Hybrid or Electric - A new comparison

Switch on the TV, listen to the radio or check-up products online. Over time you will notice the widespread use of one word in particular. That word is “compare” and it can be used or misused to persuade you, as a customer, to part with your cash for any given product or service. This week we take an independent look at the comparison between hybrid and electric vehicles. Focusing on cost, environmental impact and the major... Read More

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Going green – The next steps to a greener fleet

The 24th of June 2010 was a big day for Australia. Julia Gillard was sworn into office with the help of a handful of independents and, most importantly, the Australian Green Party. Suddenly ambitious green policies become a real prospect. Tax concessions for green fleet managers are currently thin on the ground however in the current political environment this may not remain the case. While the concept of including car drivers in any... Read More

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Route planning - Your directions to lower costs

We all know the feeling, you’re on a road, in the middle of nowhere, with some very poor directions. You’ve been trying to coordinate both your map and your notes, but things are not going well. While satellite navigation systems have eliminated a lot of the problems in this area, it is still relatively easy to get lost. Proper route planning has never been easier but in a strange twist of fate its seems that the skill... Read More

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"Must drive better" - A guide to motivating your fleet drivers

Like any matter of the mind, motivation and its causes is a highly debated and at times confusing subject matter. As a fleet manager motivating drivers and other stakeholders to do the right thing, or avoid the wrong thing can be a real challenge. Providing the carrot can be difficult now that costs are tight and constantly using the stick becomes meaningless once it’s overused. So what are fleet managers to do? Motivate to do... Read More

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Tips for the top – predictions for the top sellers of 2012

2011 was a year of radical change with uprisings, a new country in Africa, financial turmoil and financial miracles. The same, fortunately or unfortunately, could not be said of the Australian top ten selling vehicles. Other than a few re-models and a brief shuffle of the deck very little has changed in the last ten years. In this weeks blogwe give our tips for the top in 2012 and, unless something very big comes along, we're predicting... Read More

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Comments:

Peter said on 26/May/2012 6:53 PM

With the strong Aussie dollar your regular Japanese and Australian car buyers have ventured into the European new car showrooms boosting European carmakers share of the market. In the next few years these European Marques will begin to come out of their warranty period and the horror stories will surface about the extreme high price of parts and repairs. The European car sales will dramatically decline as there new customers they worked so hard to attract scurry back to the safety of the much cheaper to maintain and repair Japan and Australian cars. Of course Eurpean car makers could stop this by doing what they did to sell there new cars which is meet the market on price for maintenance and repairs. Unless they have learnt there lesson from years ago and make there part prices competitive they will again withdraw from the great summer land because Australian's won't tolerate uncompetitive pricing.

S Lodhi said on 10/Sep/2012 11:21 AM

I agree with peter on the foreign car parts issue, they look attractive but when it comes to parts, they are not party. The young rich job holders will buy expensive European cars and pay through their noses for parts and smile but the next time they would buy a Local or a Japanese car preferably a reliable, cheap to maintain Toyota, or Mazda (or Honda, or for small and quick Suzuki{nosier after one year} and not Mitsubishi) Toyota would definitely hold a position in 2012 and all the years to come, given some of us have grown in them, would want them in any shape or size, I strongly believe and suggest people to buy Holdens, because they are Australian cars, parts are friendly and that Commodore on road is definitely a head turner! BMW will sell regardless of we think. China will come up with solutions that will haunt me when I get old, they will catch up and kill KIA, Daewoo, Hyundai etc Toyota will still live If you want to become number one, this is what consumers want: Reliable, dependable strong car to run, cheap to maintain and serve us years and still look nice enough to pass as a decent car to be seen in. Don't Change the looks too often! by the way I love Jeep, American beast!

Fleet cars and staff cars - the SME need to know

Posted: 09/02/2012 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Government News | Financial Tips

There are a number of daunting aspects of starting up a new business. Tax, insurance, logistics and recruitment can seem like purpose built mazes designed to trap and punish the uninitiated. Fleet and staff cars have the unfortunate accolade ofcovering all of these confusing and at times infuriating areas. With this in mind we decided to list our top 5 things small business owners need to know about fleet cars and staff cars. 1.... Read More

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The New Toyota Camry 2012

“Same, same but different” those were the words of my colleagues from the corporate sales teamon the all new Toyota Camry. Indeed the new Camry provokes an “I’ve seen this car before” response from the uninitiated while treating the seasoned Camry buyer to subtle yet wide ranging changes. While the changes are comprehensive they cannot be perceived as bold. However, considering the year Toyota has had and... Read More

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A drivers guide to mobile phone use

Everything used to be so simple; a driver would set out on his or her journey and promise to call the office or house for further instructions or updates when they had reached their destination. With the possible exception of worrying about where to find a pay phone, drivers had very little to think about when it came to phones within their vehicles. Oh how things have changed. From the retro car phone to the modern day smart phone, in... Read More

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Collision avoidance systems, a fleet managers new best friend

“The next thing I know my Mercedes had stopped, without hitting the car in front of me.” Those were the words of Google Senior Vice President, Vic Gundotra, who described his experience with collision avoidance technology in this YouTube video. Collision avoidance technology is quickly becoming a very serious selling point for some very forward thinking vehicle manufacturers. With this in mind we turn our attention this week... Read More

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Holiday driving, a non-crash course

Beach parties, Santa hats, work holidays and the highest number of road fatalities for any 5 day period in the entire year, welcome to the Christmas holidays. While most of us enjoy our annual rituals and customs which come with the festive season, our high Christmas road deaths have, in our recent history, become something of an inevitability. The figures have decreased and the messages of caution are slowly but surely being listened... Read More

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Preparing for the worst – Planning for accidents

“I just froze, I had no idea of what to do. In my panic I scanned my thoughts for any piece of advice I had ever received about dealing with a car crash, but I couldn’t think of anything”. Those are the words of a shaken Adelaide resident who was involved in a minor vehicle collision earlier this year. The unfortunate fact is that very few people are in fact prepared for the worst and even fewer have a fool proof... Read More

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Fleet Manager Series - Outsourcing, the big question

Posted: 09/12/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | GPS tracking

Anyone involved in managing a fleet of any size knows it’s a difficult and at times thankless task. Managing everything from fuel to FBT (fringe benefit tax) reporting it can seem that the work itself conspires to inexplicably build up at the most inconvenient and conflicting of times. With all this im mind we decided that this week we would write an article especially to help the small fleet manager (this is generally under 50... Read More

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Fleet Manager Series - The tyre article

Posted: 11/11/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: (2)
Categories: | Driving Tips | Technology | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

“Ok today we’re going to talk to you about tyres, the presentation is 40 minutes long and we have tea, coffee and pastries for you guys”. Those were the words of a supplier of ours who was showing us his company’s new tyre range. I remember thinking that 40 minutes was a hell of a lot of time to talk about tyres, I mean how much can be said about black rubber circles? How wrong I was. I left the meeting convinced... Read More

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Top 10 cars series; India’s top selling cars.

Posted: 31/10/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: (1)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Car Review | Fleet Management

“Oh wow, it really does look like a bumper car” those were the words of one of my esteemed colleagues on first viewing the Tata Nano (its one of the cheapest and arguably one of the ugliest cars the world has ever seen). Produced and created in India the Nano is the perfect car to show how the Indian car market is completely enamoured with the small car. Top 10 makeup With almost all of their top ten being made up of small... Read More

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Fleet Manager Series - 5 numbers every fleet manager needs to know

Posted: 21/10/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
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Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

Like every area of business, key numbers and success measurements are critical in fleet management. For our friend the salesperson, success measurements are usually straightforward and promotions are gained on the back of big numbers, but how does the fleet manager measure his or her successes? This week I look at 5 key measurements which should be front of mind with all fleet managers who are looking to move their fleet forward towards... Read More

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Fleet Manager Series - 6 surprising facts about road accidents

Misplaced focus is a dangerous thing, from not concentrating on the road to focusing too much on one aspect of cost control, it’s generally only in retrospect when you realise the error of your ways. Cost control in fleet management can be a classic example of this, while some fleet managers fixate on cutting the fuel costs a single collision can wipe out all these savings with the push of a pedal. With this in mind I reveal some... Read More

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Top selling cars of 2011

Click here for the year end update Jan 2012From cars, to computer games, to holiday destinations and everything in between, top ten lists are a favourite of hobbyists and enthusiasts the world over. From the fickle (the bar stool top ten) to the rigorous (top tens based on massive amounts of results and research), they reveal more and more about how we relate to the world around us and how we prioritise belongings, experiences and... Read More

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A new middleweight contender - Hyundai Elantra

Posted: 09/09/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
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Categories: | Car Review | Fleet Management | Novated Lease | Hyundai

"No brand has taken such a massive leap over the past decade as Hyundai" those were the words of Acting Editor for Auto Express, Graham Hope. His words carried all the more gravity as Hyundai has just topped the list for “most improved” car manufacturer of the last 10 years in a survey carried out by the UK based magazine. These are very big achievements for the motor company which has, in the past, struggled with a... Read More

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Vehicle life expectancy – What does it mean in 2011?

Enacted in October 1960 the United States Trade Embargo on Cuba has had many impacts on the people of Cuba. The most interesting development from a car enthusiast’s point of view is the sheer levels of old cars clunking their ways around the islands road network. How is it that these old jalopy's are still succeeding in bringing locals from A to B after decades of continual use? This week I examine which cars last the longest and... Read More

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The Electric Car - Where to now?

"With more research and incentives, we can break our dependence on oil with biofuels, and become the first country to have 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015". Those were the words of US president Barack Obama during his state of the Union speech in January of this year (2011). But is this a modest or ambitious goal? This week I set out to find out more about electric vehicles; their past, their present and their future... Read More

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Speed Cameras: A change in the game?

Posted: 11/08/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: (1)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

Some things demand to be talked about and a large camera on a pole which punishes you for going too fast is most definitely one of those things. Speed cameras have a chequered history in Australia and have been accused of everything from a vast Big Brother conspiracy to money making reverse ATM’s. In the past month something very big happened, the New South Wales government gave speed cameras and their impact a luke warm review;... Read More

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What will the Carbon Tax mean for fleet?

Posted: 15/07/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
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Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Government News | Environmental News

Big news events don't usually fall on Sundays. Normally our news anchors, politicians and journalists have the good grace to leave us all more or less alone on our traditional day of rest, however like it or not Sunday’s event was anything but normal. Placing a price on carbon emissions (if the measure passes in parliament) is possibly one of the most fundamental changes in Australian government policy in decades and has the... Read More

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What makes a good mine vehicle?

When we think of mine vehicles, images of super dump trucks, diggers and equipment hauling mega machines come to mind. However there is another vehicle strutting its stuff all over mines in Australia; the mine ready four wheel drive (4WD). For obvious reasons a conventional vehicle will simply not suffice in the tough, rugged, dangerous and changeable environment of a living mine. So what makes a long living, sturdy and reliable mine... Read More

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Fleet cost reduction for the long haul

Posted: 24/06/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
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Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | GPS tracking

In a perfect world, goods and services would be bought or sold with scant regard for costs and people could glory in the comfort of purchases and consumption. Unfortuantely we do not live in that world. With Greece in crisis, the US broke and the global economy still a little bruised, “Austerity measures” has transformed the way we think about cost control. With these trends and the new culture of business cutbacks in mind... Read More

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Japan; The need to know parts and deliveries update

This year’s natural disasters in Japanhave caused some of the largest devastation the world has ever seen. With these disasters came loss of life, loss of property and, for many of the survivors, loss of livelihoods. While we all come to terms with the tragedy it is important not to forget the progress which is being made by the resilient Japanese car makers. The table below gives us some understanding of the obstacles which must,... Read More

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Depreciation; Do you know how much it's costing you?

Posted: 10/06/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
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Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

Intricate financial modelling is not the first thing to spring to mind when you consider buying a new car……but it really should be. Choosing the wrong vehicle can cost thousands of dollars and leave many burnt fingers. The inconvenient truth is that the lifetime cost of a vehicle does not take centre stage in most vehicle purchase decisions; immediate cost, styling and other considerations usually take precedence. What... Read More

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What makes a popular fleet car?

Car popularity has always been an issue of debate and popularity amongst fleet cars is a similarly contentious subject. Does popularity really mean quality and reliability, or does it mean something altogether less reassuring? For most, any given car's popularity is a combination of factors, some emotional and some practical, but is it possible to separate the two contributors? Without segmenting the fleet industry too much (the... Read More

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How will the Carbon Tax affect pump prices?

The art of negotiation has a long and distinguished history. While in a political sense it gathers most attention during coalition formation talks, it does have the capacity to crop up at any time or place in most societies. The current negotiations and wrangling over the terms and conditions of a proposed carbon tax may (and most likely will) create a new chapter in Australian negotiation history. Fleet Managers will be well advised to... Read More

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FBT (Fringe Benefit Tax) Changes Budget 2011

This year’s budget change relating to Novated Lease FBT rates on company vehicles has been much talked about since the release of the budget information last week.On our blog this week we wanted tooutline these changes for our readers whilst addressing the most common questions relating to the new system. The overhaul will, over a four year time frame, end the lower rates of FBT liability for those who drive in excess of 24,999... Read More

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Comments:

Peter Bignell said on 23/May/2011 1:27 PM

Hi Rory, the last 3 rows of your table should probably not say "Contracts commenced from..." because this gives the impression that contracts entered into before that date will stay at the previous rate - this is not correct from my understanding, ie. existing (low) rate contracts will be subject to an increase in FBT rate each year till they reach 20%. Regards, Peter.

Rory Deegan said on 24/May/2011 8:58 AM

Thanks for the comment Peter. According to the Chartered Accountants Review of the FBT change, lease holders liability will indeed depend upon the date lease holders commence their lease (correctly outlined in the table above). We do however understand that there is some confusion over the change and, with this in mind we look forward to more finite details which have been sought by the AFLA (Australian Fleet Lessors Association) who are currently liaising with the Treasury Department. These details primarily revolve around the definition of the term “contracts entered into”. We will update any details as we receive them. For others reading this; please rest assured that if you do have a novated lease which you entered into prior to the FBT changes you will not be impacted by these altered rates and thresholds.

LM said on 31/May/2011 5:35 PM

This clarifies the situation somewhat. No impact on existing contracts, and for those that have signed an order but not yet received delivery, they will also fall under the old FBT regime. http://www.charteredaccountants.com.au/Industry-Topics/Tax/Current-issues/Tax-news/Regulatory-and-government-updates/24-05-11-Fringe-benefits-tax-reform-of-the-car-fringe-benefits-rules

Chris said on 09/Jun/2011 2:21 PM

Rory, do you know if it will be possible for existing lease holders to elect to move to the new strucuture if you're already doing low km's to avoid the paperwork burden?

Richard Gunn said on 16/Aug/2011 6:35 PM

Taking into account the above article its fairly evident there will be a massive impetus on many more drivers to switch to the logbook method if maximisation of claims is to be achieved. If it is obvious that you can better the 20% flat rate more drivers will keep a logbook for a continuous 12 week period, after all its valid for five years on the same vehicle if its is indicative of the normal use of the cae. It is even easier now to keep logbooks - you can buy a fully tax deductible Australian made iphone app for less than the headache of keeping a written logbook (and then having to perform all the manual calculations to get your percentage business use). One such app is VehicleLog available on the Apple App Store.

Kurross said on 12/Oct/2011 9:50 AM

Rory, I am changing the company who manage my lease, but not the finance company. should I continue on the old rate?

Rory Deegan said on 14/Oct/2011 10:22 AM

@Kurross we will need to look into your details for this one. I have mailed you my details.

Ray M said on 10/Dec/2011 10:26 AM

As I see it a sales person who has to take out a loan so their company can conduct business now is going to be penalised for visiting a lot of customers and would be better off staying in the office? e.g Someone doing 35,000km a year mainly for work will be slugged 20% instead of 11% - so effectively the EMPLOYEE is fined for buying an asset, taking the risk of that asset depreciating, reducing that employees ability to borrow funds for their personal benefit, and now is lured into travelling LESS at the expense of good customer service??? And the people who drive their cars less (typically the executive are rewarded because they get an FBT cut?

Peter R said on 03/May/2012 7:27 AM

This just another means by which the Gillard Government wants to punish the worker and tax payer. The only person with any environmental ideas in this coalition were Bob Brown who pressured the changes and then packed un and is resigning.

GPS and Fleet Management

Since the American military released its first satellites in the “Block 1” launches back in 1979 the world of navigation has been forever altered. Long ago drivers relied on maps, intuition and local knowledge to get to customers and deliveries. Today when we peer into a police car or taxi we will see an entire dashboard of navigation and communication devices. Global positioning systems have changed the way we navigate,... Read More

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Getting the most out of Fuel Cards

The humble fuel card has, for many Australian businesses, replaced company credit cards and cash in an effort to allow accounts departments generate a clearer picture of how much fuel is costing their respective businesses. Fuel cards simply add up all the fuel purchases made by a business and charge monthly through a standard invoice. While most businesses are content with the standard benefits (discounts, reduced administrative cost,... Read More

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2011, the year of the SUV?

Posted: 14/04/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Novated Lease | Leasing

The main trend With new hybrid and electric models being trooped out by almost every major car manufacturer you would be forgiven for believing that the public was, en masse, moving away from large, noisy and relatively high emissions vehicles. This, however, is not the case according to last months FCAI (Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries) vehicle sales report. Sports utility vehicles now make up 24.5% of all new vehicles... Read More

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Holden on for a new Cruze

Posted: 07/04/2011 By: Rory Deegan - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Car Review | Fleet Management | Holden

Since an emotional launch in Adelaide back in late February Australians have waited to hear the assessment of the new series 2 Holden Cruze. Would this second model build on the relative sales success of the first, or would it remind us of the disappointing Vectra range which Holden and GM would prefer to forget?The changesApart from a new grill, new bumpers and new wheels there isn’t much to distinguish the new Cruze from the one... Read More

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Pump prices pack a punch

Posted: 01/04/2011 By: Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant
Comments: (3)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Government News

Who would have thought 5 years ago that we would be paying $1.50 per litre at the petrol station? I certainly wouldn’t have. Gone are the days that a station was selling fuel for $0.98/L. How I wish those prices would come back! But times have changed, and so have prices. Now the average national petrol price is at $1.43 per litre, and it doesn’t look to be decreasing any time soon. We all rely on fuel in one way or another.... Read More

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Australian auto industry faces some speed bumps

Posted: 18/03/2011 By: Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Government News

As the devastating news of an earthquake and subsequent tsunami hitting Japan came across TV screens all over the world, so too did the images of the damage and catastrophe it had left behind. One of the scenes saw the new cars that were at the dock ready to be shipped overseas instead being dragged away by a strong and powerful wave. It soon became obvious that these terrible events weren’t just restricted to this one country,... Read More

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Safety vs Cost Control

Posted: 25/02/2011 By: John Hutchison - Online Marketing Coordinator
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

A question which is often avoided by car buyers, which is more important –keeping costs lowor safety? Many people want to appear as if safety is their highest priority, however more often than not, they will often choose a vehiclebased on low whole of life costs rather thanthe safety features. This is also a vital question for companies who own a fleet of vehicles. Businesses have the obligation of providing staff with a safe... Read More

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Can your business save money with fuel cards?

Posted: 17/02/2011 By: Cindy Anthony - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

With the cost of living constantly going up, who wants to spend extra money on rising fuel costs? I certainly don’t. And I imagine most small to medium to large business owners would agree, especially those who own fleets of vehicles. If you think about it, when you add up how much is spent on fuel each month, the savings from discounted fuelcouldbe significant. A popular solution amongst fleet owners for reducing monthly fuel... Read More

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Driverless Cars - the future of automobiles?

Posted: 03/02/2011 By: Cindy Anthony - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Technology | Fleet Management

Old movies like Back to the Future or TV series Knight Rider presented futuristic scenarios featuring flying or even talking cars. Whileoutside of the movies we may notbequite there yet,we are however taking a hugeleap in the automobile industry with our latest breakthrough sensation – the robo-car. Yes, the robo-car. They are the vehicles built with their very own ‘brain’. However, unlike our organically compounded... Read More

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Top 5 bad habits your drivers have

Posted: 19/01/2011 By: Cindy Anthony - Marketing Assistant
Comments: (1)
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Financial Tips

Many of us see ourselves as good drivers - whether we’ve had our licence for 2 days or 2 decades. However, it can be said with confidence that we are all guilty of not driving with the best interests of our vehicles in mind. Small everyday things such as not using the parking brake, etc, are some of the causes in reducing the longevity of a vehicle. While bad habits can often be made light of, they are bad news for fleet owners... Read More

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To lease or to buy?

Posted: 06/01/2011 By: Cindy Anthony - Marketing Assistant
Comments: (3)
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | Leasing

As a new year descends upon us, you may decide to evaluate your fleet and look at upgrading some vehicles. Maybe that old clunker of a truck that keeps blowing off steam every chance it gets, or perhaps ‘Dusty’ the trusty little delivery van isnt being so trusty anymore? Either way, a successful company who depends on the efficient running of their fleet requires vehicles which are reliable and safe – which some older... Read More

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Does your fleet really need premium?

Posted: 17/12/2010 By: Cindy Anthony - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management

It’s in middle of the day and you’re craving something sweet. Chocolate cake or a brownie? The cake sounds much more delectable than the brownie, but at the end of the day they both consist of the same product that will satisfy your craving. Chocolate. The same goes for when your car becomes a bit hungry. Amid the vast range of car-snacks comes the hard decision of which to choose. Premium or regular? We all know the cost... Read More

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Is your fleet in need of a security upgrade?

Posted: 09/12/2010 By: Cindy Anthony - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management | Financial Tips | GPS tracking

Imagine the inconvenience if one of the most active vehicles in your fleet was stolen, or broken into – causing irreparable damage and your driver to be off the road indefinitely or at least until you come up with an alternative.I suppose vehicle security should have been right up there with safety andperformance from the beginning but hindsight is a great gift isn't it?!However, being a person quick on your feet you decide on a... Read More

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Is 3 star safety satisfactory?

Posted: 05/11/2010 By: Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

In September we posted a blog The real price of safety, taking a look at the cars that state they have 5 stars, yet require you to pay extra for that 5th star. This tweaked my curiosity to monitor the ANCAP safety ratings and I happened to come across something a little worrying. Let’s start by stating the obvious. When searching for a vehicle for your fleet, what are some of the general features you look for? Possibly good fuel... Read More

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Driver education or ISA device?

Posted: 29/10/2010 By: Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

Over the past 6 months, the RTA has been trialling an Intelligent Speed Adaption (ISA) device that warns people when they are driving over the speed limit by beeping until they decrease their speed. According to the RTA, this device could help prevent 35 deaths and around 1500 injuries, although it is not going to be made a compulsory installation. The majority of the time, people know they are speeding. It’s hard to be 20km/h... Read More

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Misfuelling - The cost to fleets

Posted: 08/10/2010 By: Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant
Comments: (1)
Categories: | Technology | Fleet Management

With an ever increasing choice at the petrol pump and an array of coloured nozzles, some only slightly different, it can be easy to confuse Unleaded 91 for Unleaded 95or even 98 (I know I always have to triple check what I’m putting in). Sure, it’s ok if you get the unleadeds mixed up every now and again, but what if you drive a diesel car? For fleet drivers who change from petrol cars to diesel cars regularly, it’s... Read More

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6 Steps to Great After Sales Service

Posted: 20/08/2010 By: Casey Cascarino - Client Services
Comments: none
Categories: | Fleet Management

You’re having one of those days where nothing seems to be going your way. Then to top it off, your mobile phone/laptop/car/washing machine suddenly stops working. While trying your best to hold in your frustration, you call the after care number to see if someone there can help you fix your product. You wait for what seems like hours on hold, but just incase the next person out there has the same problem, you stay on the line.... Read More

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Accident Management: The argument for outsourcing

Posted: 22/07/2010 By: Lauren Heerey - Accident Management Consultant
Comments: (5)
Categories: | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

A driver is on their way to a drop off point and has just pulled up at a set of lights, when “BANG”. Yep, the person texting on their mobile in the car behind has forgotten to brake. Unfortunately accidents are a part of life if your company has a large fleet. If you are responsible for your company’s fleet, what is the management process when an incident like this occurs? Obviously the first step is to make sure... Read More

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Comments:

Tim Kett said on 27/Jul/2010 9:09 AM

I maybe a little bias on this one but, we manage +50K vehicles across the UK, and find that many of our clients are more than happy to outsource the Accident Management of their fleets to us, this is because of the imaging technology and expertise in house that is generally stronger than what would be available off the shelf. This means that assessments, repairs and costs can be controlled to within 1p within our business and this means that the client will always benefit from the power of dealing with a company with control over the garage or repairer. With outsourcing you do lose some sight of the process but ultimately you will win on a cost basis.

Doug Nicol said on 27/Jul/2010 9:14 AM

It's always a good thing to keep as much as possible in House, but in many of the Fleet Management roles, there just isnt enough time, or people to delegate this to. Most Fleet Managers have a Full-Plate already, and Accident Management can be quite time consuming.

Laura Taylor - Marketing Assistant said on 27/Jul/2010 9:17 AM

Hi Tim, Thanks for the comment. Have you found that a lot of your clients come to you after attempting the Accident Management processes themselves in-house, or do the majority come to you from the beginning?

Tim Kett said on 27/Jul/2010 9:18 AM

Hi Laura Many of our clients have dealt with their own accident management for years, using old and antiquated methods (usually paper), they are usually not aware that the new technology within the market place allows for more pro-active and immediate transactions to take place and that the management of the repairs can be completed in such a process lead way. When demonstrating the technologies for potential new clients, we often hear audible gasps of appreciation for the way in which we can manage the vehicle and challenge costs directly and in real-time with the garage. We are also able to manage the downtime of the vehicle which is becoming more and more important to the clients and another string in the bow for the outsourcer, challenging times for repair down to 10 minute slots. And as the invoice process is not automated, we can remove any item that we believe is not required for the repair driving down cost even further. The skills that are required for this type of management process are not easily available within the market place and is not something that is easily taught to an individual, Our technical team can quickly review a claim, images and invoice and save around 12% of the cost of repair per job and reduce the vehicle downtime by 2 days from start to finish. Once we have demonstrated the ability and skills of the technician and the system, most customers come flocking for the accident management service provision

Peter Bonney said on 09/Aug/2010 3:49 PM

Here in the UK, the trend is towards outsourcing to specialist accident management companies and even most of the leasing companies who ran their own in-house accident management departments have now partnered with an external specialist company. They then retain one or two staff to manage the account and interface with their own clients. From a fleet operators point of view it must depend on how many accidents you are likely to have to deal with each year and the geographic spred. My fleet will have something like 300 claims a year requiring bodyshop attention and these will be in possibly 50 or 60 different towns. Having accounts with so many different repairers, negotiating labour rates and parts discounts with each is just not practical. Then there is the question of having the in-house expertise to evaluate each estimate and decide if an engineer needs to be sent in to inspect. Add to this the need to manage down-time and instigate uninsurred loss recovery claims, following through until successful. With all things considered, I'd probably need an extra 2 staff to do accident management in-house and then its doubtful as to whether they would be as efficient as a specialist fleet management company. However, if I had less than 50 vehicles operating in a single location, I'd be tempted to go it alone. So my message is a old British saying "horses for courses" There is no one answer to this question that will suit all fleets. Last point, small fleets of up to 50 vehicles can be successful in instilling a zero accidents culture, if I had a small fleet I'd be concentrating on this and then not be having to worry too much about accident management, for obvious reasons.

What is Unsafe Driving Costing Your Company?

Posted: 05/07/2010 By: Bowan Spanbroek - Marketing Co-ordinator
Comments: (1)
Categories: | Fleet Management | Occupational Health & Safety

Road accidents are now the most common form of work-related death, injury and absence from work in Australia (Safety climate & driver safety at work: integrating fleet management & OHS). The annual cost of road traffic injury is estimated to be over AU$500 million and related property damage increases this figure to over AU$1 billion (Travelsafe34, 2002) These two facts show the enormous social & financial impact unsafe... Read More

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5 Simple Steps to Stop Fuel Cards from Declining

Posted: 11/06/2010 By: Whitney Perret - Client Services Officer
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management

There is nothing more annoying than having a fuel card declined. As a driver reaching in to your own pocket to pay for fuel can be extremely inconvenient. Not to mention the lengthy reimbursement process where drivers are left out of pocket and the loss of the fuel card discount.If you’re in charge of your company’s fleet implement these five simple steps & avoid those fuel card dramas. They might seem obvious but they... Read More

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5 Ways Small Business Can Benefit from Outsourcing Their Fleet Management

Posted: 15/04/2010 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management

If your business has over 2 vehicles you could now consider it a fleet and get the benefits that come along with owning a fleet. Over the past decade fleet management companies have uncovered the small business market as a valuable prospect, creating innovative solutions that help small businesses cut down on their overheads and administration time. These days you don’t need 1000+ vehicles to benefit from outsourcing fleet... Read More

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Ford Say Goodbye to an Old Fleet Favourite the Falcon Wagon

Posted: 31/03/2010 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: none
Categories: | Automotive Industry News | Fleet Management

Ford recently announced the deletion of the Ford Falcon Wagon by June, a fleet institution for large corporations such as Telstra. With no demand in the consumer market it’s been kept afloat by fleet sales since it’s the BA/BF models where released. Last year it only accounted for 2500 of the 31000 falcons sold in 2009 the majority of which came from business and government fleets.Fleet buyers loved this car because of its... Read More

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Mercedes Benz Sprinter NGT 2010: Workhorse on a green diet

Posted: 03/03/2010 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: none
Categories: | Car Review | Technology | Fleet Management

The new Mercedes sprinter has been put on a greener leaner diet for 2010. Mercedes is revamping their efforts to introduce a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) version of their Sprinter to fleet customers, nine years after their previous attempt at CNG failed. The new Sprinter range comes in the traditional diesel and petrol version but now with the added option of a petrol CNG hybrid. Unlike Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) CNG is not dependant... Read More

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10 Reasons Why Your Fleet Needs GPS Tracking

Posted: 11/12/2009 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: (1)
Categories: | Technology | Fleet Management | GPS tracking

GPS Fleet Tracking 101 GPS tracking uses a satellite linked device to update vehicle information at regular intervals (usually around 20sec). Information includes, date, time, location (latitude & longitude) heading direction, altitude and travelling speed. This information is then delivered to the fleet manager, keeping managers updated on their fleet’s status 24 hours a day 7 days a week, from anywhere with an internet... Read More

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Fleet Safety: Are you steering your company towards a productivity iceberg?

Posted: 17/11/2009 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Technology | Fleet Management

We all know the tragic price families and friends pay because of mobile phone usage on the road. But now there is another cost being identified, the loss in productivity for big business. You could be sailing along fine at the moment but all fleet managers should stop and peer into the distance to avoid a productivity disaster. What does the iceberg look like? Heinrich’s Accident Pyramid proposes that for every 300 unsafe acts,... Read More

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5 Steps to Reduce Your Fleet Emissions

Posted: 21/10/2009 By: Bowan Spanbroek
Comments: none
Categories: | Driving Tips | Fleet Management

The prospect of saving on operating costs and reducing your carbon footprint is too good to pass up. By implementing these five simple steps you can reduce your fleet overheads while enhancing your company’s environmental image. 1. Measure Your Fleet – Obtain an accurate picture of you current emissions rate. Gaining a clear and accurate picture of your company’s current emission output is obviously the first step in... Read More

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