As insurance companies continue to see the cost of claims increase they are looking to increase premiums to return the books of business they hold to profitability. According to recent statistics some insurance premiums rose by 11% during the second quarter of 2010, the sharpest increase  recorded in the past 16 years.

Many insurers have been complaining that premiums have been too low to be sustainable for some time and we are now seeing the result.

For some types of business insurance companies paid out costs of £122 for every £100 of premium received.
So given the figures it is no surprise that many Haulage insurers are seeking to impose premium increases to correct the short fall.

Also, many insurance industry experts have warned that the tax imposed by the government on most insurance policies know as Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) could be set to rise to bring it in line with the rest of Europe.
The IPT is presently set at 5% but following the recent emergency budget it is set to rise to 6% with effect from 4th January 2011.

However, IPT across Europe is much higher than the UK with Germany currently set at 19% and many industry experts expect the government to take action to move IPT in line with European Union levels as the UK is very much at the lower end of the European scale.

All of this is not good news for customers at a time when their own income is under pressure due to the current economic conditions.

So now more than ever it is important for customers to use the services of specialist HGV and Haulage insurance broker such as Isis Insurance. We have many years of experience in arranging HGV insurance and can offer terms and cover from a number of leading UK insurers.

Although we cannot change any rises in IPT we can search the markets to find you the best Haulage insurance deal which will help to keep your costs as low as possible.

The ProNav PNN-200 allows drivers to enter their heavy good vehicles’ vital statistics, including weight, height, length, width and the goods they are carrying, to calculate the best route to ensure drivers are not confronted with roads or obstacles not suitable for their vehicle or cargo. During a journey, the ProNav PNN-200 also warns drivers of hazards such as steep hills, high cross winds, and the risk of grounding and can automatically re-route a driver’s journey accordingly if deemed necessary. The ProNav PNN-200 is perfect for drivers of HGV’s, light commercial vehicles.

The ProNav PNN-200 should in the long run result in more accurate time and distances for drivers who are unsure about routes, it also gives drivers confidence of what lies ahead but most importantly we hope the ProNav PNN-200 will reduce accidents as many drivers take routes which are not best suitable to their journey.

One piece of advice we will stress is that you use the ProNav when your vehicle is stationary; using this piece of equipment whilst driving could cause lack of concentration on the roads a head and may result in an accident.

Isis Insurance believe that the ProNav is a fantastic piece of equipment and will help all drivers with their journeys, but most importantly, always make sure you have the correct HGV insurance policy to cover you for your Heavy Goods Vehicle, If you’re unsure or are searching for HGV insurance quotes, please do not hesitate to contact us at Isis Insurance.

This did happen recently to a gentleman from Livingston, West Lothian who fell asleep behind the wheel of his 44 tonne HGV, vehicle travelling at 60 MPH but what the driver didn’t know that he was suffering from a condition called obstructive Sleep Apnoea. 

According to the Sun newspaper there are approximately 300 deaths caused every year due to drivers nodding off at the wheel. With 30,000 people in the UK suffering from OSA, 90 per cent of cases remain undiagnosed.  A poll also revealed one in six HGV drivers have Obstructive Sleep Apnoea.

There have been many cases with HGV drivers falling asleep at the wheel but luckily Mr Connelly from West Lothian said ‘I got the shock of my life. I had fallen asleep and nearly killed myself. I stopped at the nearest services, had a wash, a coffee and a walk around to wake myself up, but I was shaking so badly’.

Mr Connelly was very lucky, when this event happened in his HGV vehicle luckily it was only 5am in the morning so there was little traffic, had it been a bit later on he could have caused a major accident in business rush hour traffic.

At Isis Insurance we want our clients to take best care when driving long distances - make sure you have regular stops. Don’t drive over your recommended hours and have plenty of food and drink you keep your energy levels high.

Keeping the rate of accident down each year should give everyone an advantage on cheaper HGV insurance premiums, and at Isis insurance we always make sure our clients get the best competitive price for their HGV insurance.

A government consultation document is currently being distributed that seeks comment from interested parties over the next three months.

The document proposes to withdraw the exemption from the almost 5,000 road going cranes and over 3,000 truck mounted lifts currently registered in the UK. Once the consultation process is closed in March there will be a delay of a further three months or so before the findings are published.

Assuming that the outcome is then a recommendation to go ahead with withdrawal – and it is hard to see any arguments that will prevent it – the changes to the current law are likely to come into force sometime in 2011.

The driving forces behind the proposal are the fact that the number of exempt vehicles that regularly use UK roads is now over 40,000 and growing. It is also clear that the exemption breaches EU directives for these vehicles that often travel great distances, some at relatively high speeds.

It will be hard to argue a rational case against the removal of the exemption and that both cranes and truck mounted lifts should not be subject to formal roadworthiness tests along the lines of other vehicles. Tests costs between £75 and £135.

Isis Insurance takes into account the exemptions and what this means to our HGV drivers and crane drivers.

With the added cost of time and test fees many companies could be left with less profit and this is where Isis Insurance can help you, we offer competitive HGV insurance prices, and all our staff have years of experience to make sure you get the best possible policy for your HGV vehicle.

The article points out that last year’s Department of Transport vehicle licensing statistics showed that the number of company owned cars fell by almost 4.5% while new registrations plunged 21%. The effect of the economic crisis along with the recently announced increase in VAT from next January is likely to ensure that the decline in size of commercial fleets continues.

This comes at a time when most insurers agree that insurance premium rates in the fleet insurance market need to increase to cover ever increasing claims costs.  Claims cost inflation has soared in the past 5 years far outstripping rate rises.

Data monitor estimates that claims inflation is running at around 6% across fleet and commercial insurance, although some insurers suggest it is in double figures, whilst premium rates have increased no more than low single figures.

Bodily injury claims are continuing to rise, and credit hire now accounts for around 10% of premium payments, whereas it used to be no more 2%. There are also a number of upcoming pressures on the sector, such as the recently implemented Ministry of Justice reforms.

The most recent FSA returns show commercial market had combined operating ratios of 110% in 2009.. meaning for every £1 taken in premium £1.10 was paid in costs.

With increased pressure on premium rates choosing a specialist HGV fleet insurance broker like Isis Insurance can help clients to obtain competitive rates from a number of insurance companies. We will search the market for the best premium offer from a number of insurers and look to obtain the best cover and terms available.

In these uncertain times arranging HGV Fleet insurance through Isis Insurance could be a great way to save money and improve your cover.

However, at a time when the cost of HGV insurance is rising due, in the main, to ever increasing claims costs, many insurance companies are teaming up with vehicle manufacturers and other organisations to research the latest safety technology to help to save lives, reduce injuries and also cut the costs of accidents.

With the continuing advancement of technology several new initiatives are being researched which could bring about a quantum leap in road safety and revolutionise the way that HGV insurance works.

An example of such an initiative is adoption of electronic stability control (ESC) an automatic override that prevents drivers from losing control in a skid. At present 63% of new vehicles in the UK are fitted with ESC, but in 2012 all new cars will be required to have this by law. According to research conducted by Thatcham, a not-for-profit organisation that carries out research aimed at reducing the cost of accident claims for insurance companies, 380 lives have been saved by the introduction of ESC.

There were 572 pedestrians killed on the roads in 2008. For that reason Jaguar and Mercedes have introduced the pop-up bonnet. Should the vehicle strike a pedestrian the bonnet rises up, keeping the victim away from the hard metal of the engine.

Drink driving is another high risk factor, a driver who has drunk double the legal limit is 50 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash. Ford has produced the “AlcoKey” which has a mini breathalyser kit built into the key. If the driver blows into the mouthpiece and registers a reading above the legal limit a red light flashes, telling the driver the key will not start the car.

In many cases the new technology is not just about saving lives but also about avoiding the minor incidents which make up the majority of collisions. Whiplash is the most common injury with 436,000 claims a year in the UK. Typically these accidents are where a driver runs into the back of another vehicle at a junction. However new technology can stop this happening. New tests with vehicles fitted with collision mitigation braking systems-where the vehicle brakes autonomously when it sees an obstacle are very encouraging along with simpler systems such as orange lights beside mirrors which tell you if there is someone overtaking in your blind spot.

Another new development is lane departure technology, where a buzzer sounds when the vehicle edges across the white lines without indicating. This is taken further by some vehicle manufacturers who are experimenting with a system where the steering wheel rights itself, nudging the vehicle back into the lane if the driver crosses white lines without indicating.

As well as the improvements in vehicle safety on our roads for drivers and pedestrians the insurance industry should see a reduction in the cost of claims. Experts believe that if the automatic braking systems mentioned earlier were fitted to all UK vehicles Britain would see 150,000 fewer whiplash injuries, £1.3bn saved in repair costs and £700m in health compensation.

Of course there is no substitute for careful driving and insurers will always look to reward careful drivers who have good claims records with competitive HGV and Haulage insurance and here at Isis Insurance we are able to tailor individual policies to suit customer’s individual circumstances.

Whatever the development in new technology we will continue to provide our clients with competitive Haulage and HGV insurance policies.

Mobile phones are a major distraction from driving, and being distracted can lead you to not concentrating on the road and could cause a major accident which could result in fatalities.

As with all drivers HGV driver have to maintain full concentration at all times due to the size of the vehicle they are driving, so using a mobile phone without a “handsfree adaptor”  should never happen.

Now hopefully all HGV drivers have taken this into account as being caught using a mobile phone without a handsfree device whilst driving  may gain you 3 points and a £60 fine, or worse.

Even though some vehicles come with pre docking stations as standard, many police forces around the UK are considering enforcing the existing law that ‘a driver must not be distracted’ when driving- and this could be extended to include iPods.

Many HGV drivers are actually listening to their iPods via earphones and this cuts out all road noise, but what these drivers are not taking into account that maybe at a junction you could pull out at slow speed due to the size of the vehicle not aware that an ambulance could becoming at high speed and with you not be able to hear this, you could cause an accident.

The police have been looking into this and have established that if you are caught listen to your IPod you could face prosecution.

Currently, the police can warn drivers – even if they are eating or drinking whilst driving – if they believe the action is causing the driver to become distracted.

Being a HGV driver the police are aware that this can be a tiring job due to long hours, and that many drivers want some entertainment whilst driving the long motorways – but this is not a responsible method – the police spokesperson has recently stated  ‘ Your HGV vehicle was fitted with a standard entertainment equipment, we would advise to you use that only’.

Isis Insurance believe that being safe on the UK roads can cause less accidents and in the long run this will result to cheaper insurer premiums.

If you require a quote for your HGV insurance please give us a call at Isis Insurance so we can offer  you  competitive premiums  – And remember be SAFE.

When you take out truck insurance and HGV insurance, your policy details will be added to the Motor Insurance Database (MID), run by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). This may be consulted by the Police in order to establish who is insured to drive the vehicle. If you are involved in an accident (in the UK or abroad), other UK insurers and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau may search the MID to ascertain relevant policy information on behalf of victims.

A search of the MID can only be conducted using the full Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM). It is not possible to search on a name, or address, or policy number or even a partial VRM.

The information held on the database is supplied by motor insurance companies and reflects the information that has been supplied to them by the policyholder. If the information retrieved is found to be incorrect or the data is missing, the insurance company should be notified so that they can make the correction to their own files and the MID.

Subject to certain conditions, the UK Information Centre at MIB can search the MID on behalf of a victim of an accident or under provision of the Data Protection Act.

Anyone can check that the vehicle they are about to drive has a record of insurance on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) by using www.askmid.com.

It is also possible to check the MID (for a fee) using www.askmid.com following an accident to determine if the other vehicle was insured.

Fleet Insurance customers may also be interested to note the additional requirements detailed as follows:

As a commercial policyholder YOU are responsible for regularly submitting information about your vehicles to the database.  Your insurer can tell you how you should do this or you can take a look at the Insurer Submission Route options. This area of the MIB website will provide you with all the other information you need to comply with the law. 
If you drive a vehicle insured on a company policy, you need to make sure that your vehicle is on the MID.  Check with the person responsible for arranging the motor insurance in your company.

The ACPO Lead for Uniformed Operations explains how your company’s vehicles could be seized if they are not on the MID:

“The use of ANPR at the roadside is helping the police to rid the roads of uninsured vehicles.  During 2006 around 50,000 vehicles were seized by the police.  ANPR teams check against the Police National Computer, the Motor Insurance Database and the DVLA database.  If a vehicle is not taxed or insured, reported stolen or lost, or if the keeper of the vehicle is wanted by the police for any other crimes, they will be stopped and further checks will be made.  The vehicle will be seized if there are no valid documents, and if proof of ownership or insurance is not produced within 14 days of the seizure, the police have new powers to crush and destroy the vehicle. 

Company car drivers are also at risk of seizure if the company has not registered the vehicle details on the MID.  You, as a fleet vehicle driver, may be inconvenienced by the police if your company has not passed on your vehicle details to the insurance provider.  A quick phone call to your Fleet Manager may save you unnecessary hassle at the roadside.”

So it is no longer enough just to be insured, you must ensure that your company vehicles are on the MID!

We will continue our look at the MID in future articles, but in the meantime we would emphasise the need for all of our clients to understand the need to inform us of any changes of vehicle under their HGV insurance and Truck Insurance policies as soon as possible, and always before taking the vehicle onto the public highways.

As ever more information is available at www.mib.org.uk

Many HGV vehicles carry hundreds of litres of diesel and with the recent years of increased fuel prices, they are set again to rise by 1p per litre and by October 2010 they are set again to rise by 1p again.

With the rise of Diesel cost and with the increase in independent HGV drivers and vast competition to gain jobs, you need to assess ways in which your vehicle can help you save money by taking advantage of increased mileage per gallon. Of course this all depends on what stock you are carrying and distances you will be travelling. LPG can be very expensive to fit to such a large vehicle but in the long run you will save thousands on the running costs of your HGV vehicle.

We understand that no-one likes paying extra for their fuel, but at least manufacturers are responding by squeezing extra mpg from their vehicles. The new generation of pickup trucks and HGV vehicles are now more economical than their predecessors, and in many cases, this is coupled with enhanced performance as engine technology improves.

Of course another way to save expense is to review your HGV insurance costs. At Isis Insurance we believe in offering our clients competitive prices from a range of insurance companies, but as importantly we focus on high levels of customer services to offer you and stress free experience.

So as well as saving you money at Isis Insurance we aim to reduce your stress levels at the same time!

 For competitive prices on your HGV Insurance call Isis Insurance on 01625 539 656

The most recent UK disaster was In August 2002, seven members of the public died and 180 people suffered ill health as a result of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ at a council-owned arts and leisure facility in the town centre of Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, and again this has been attributed to stagnant water.

As you can see it’s a serious issue, and now we wish to highlight this to truck drivers as we believe many drivers may have close contact with Legionnaires’ disease due to many trucks having large wash screen bottles and this is the perfect place for Legionnaires’ disease to grow.

Our advise to your self is to check weekly on your level of screen wash, and always mix screen wash with water as this helps to kill the bacteria, never just pour neat water as again if not checked this turns into stagnant water and residue can come through the air vents of the truck causing bad flu, aching muscles and possible death.

At Isis insurance we believe in helping our Truck insurance clients with all the best possible advise and we hope you can follow the easy steps above which could be life saving!!