Even if it’s not snowing, cold weather can create dangers that are less obvious – such as an increased risk of ice. This means you need to take care says the Agency, which looks after England’s motorways and major A roads.

“Although the forecast suggests you are unlikely to need a snow shovel this week, you should make sure you have plenty of warm clothing for you and your passengers. If you break down on the motorway it’s dangerous to stay in your vehicle,” says Jason Glasson of the Highways Agency’s winter team.

A Met Office cold weather alert has been issued for the entire country. They are predicting temperatures of minus three in London and Birmingham on Friday morning. Everywhere is expected to be sub zero and the temperature will ‘feel like’ minus six or lower in places.

The Highways Agency’s 500-strong gritting fleet is expecting this to be one of its busiest weeks of the winter.

Even though it has been relatively mild so far compared to last year, the fleet has already spread more than 60,000 tonnes of salt since the start of winter and is expecting to clock up a million miles by the weekend.

Met Office forecasters based at the Highways Agency’s national traffic operations centre say there will be little rain or snow before the weekend, but road conditions can still be challenging when it is so cold.

“It’s particularly important you give yourself extra time to prepare for your journey on a cold morning and don’t drive off until you and your car are ready,” adds Jason Glasson.

Advice includes:

• Even if it hasn’t rained overnight, a heavy frost can still make roads slippy.

• Watch out for icy conditions under bridges, overhanging trees and exposed roads.

• Allow extra time in the morning to de-ice your car windows – and then clean all of them so you have a good view.

• On a cold, clear morning there is a greater risk of being dazzled by low sun through a frosty windscreen. Include sunglasses in your winter driving kit.

Our Fuel Cards give your fleet drivers an easier and safer alternative to cash or plastic at the pumps.  Check out www.forecourtfuels.co.uk to see which package best suits you.

Most EU countries charge lorries for using roads, meaning British vehicles pay to drive in Europe. Currently foreign heavy goods vehicles can use UK roads for free, but the Department for Transport has proposed a lorry road-user charging scheme for the UK to help British haulage companies compete.

Proposals have been announced that recommended a charge of £10 a day will be imposed for lorries of 12 tonnes or more using any UK road. It will apply to all such vehicles, but British hauliers could receive a reduction in vehicle excise duty as compensation.

The move could mean buyers urge suppliers to use UK haulage firms to keep costs down. Leveling the market across Europe is a good thing to stop UK hauliers being disadvantaged. However, this will increase the costs for most businesses importing goods from Europe and may lead to wider use of UK haulage companies.

Trade associations were also positive about the proposals. A spokesman for the Freight Transport Association said, “If businesses decided to use UK haulage companies to avoid higher costs from foreign firms, British hauliers have the capacity to manage the extra demand. In the past, we’ve seen redundancies and financial trouble in our sector because foreign hauliers have undercut us.”

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) described the proposals as “good news for UK transport operators”. RHA spokeswoman Kate Gibbs said: “The RHA has been working with government officials to get the best scheme possible under EU rules and we believe this is what the new proposals represent.”

The DfT is consulting on whether the scheme should be implemented and how. The consultation runs until 18 April.

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Forecourt Fuels and their range of fuel card solutions offer their customers integrated fuel card reporting. In short this means that our Fuel Cards will track precise information on all fuel purchases and includes comprehensive monthly and year-to-date reporting to help fleets control costs and improve vehicle efficiency. Nick Staples, Managing Director of Forecourt Fuels, explained how that helps reduce fuel waste,

‘By using Forecourt Fuels fleet management fuel purchase reporting, fleet managers are able to collect concrete data and implement changes that will have a major impact on reducing fuel expenses.’

Fuel cards can instantly eliminate the admin load of entering individual fuel receipts into company records. This increases purchase control and creates a far less complicated fuel management process.

There are other benefits of using fuel cards too, the first of which is convenience over other purchasing methods. Compared to cash or credit cards a fuel card is far more secure. The purchase restrictions that can be placed on a card can reassure that only fuel is being bought by the driver.

There are a number of fuel cards readily available on the market and therefore it is important to know there are many different price systems too. Many suppliers offer commercial priced fuel cards thus creating significant savings compared to pump prices.

By managing fuel costs the process of calculating overall expenses becomes much more controlled. For this reason a business will gain back power over finances and therefore will not have to result to damaging resorts, such as increasing the price of products to absorb inflated expenses. This makes a much more satisfied customer as prices remain at the same level if not lower than substitutes/comparable products and services.

Did you know we can save a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards? 

Visit www.forecourtfuels.co.uk  for more information.

The AA said it would meet its counterparts on the continent early next month to find a way of easing the burden of rising fuel costs on hard-pressed consumers.

“There is a lack of transparency in the fuel market, which is of major concern to all of us.  Rising fuel costs are bad for the wider economy, driving up the price of food and other commodities.”

Large oil companies argue that they earn little profit from forecourt sales and make the vast bulk of their money out of “upstream” oil production. They point out that most of the petrol price is tax.

The AA says it is difficult to know whether it is oil companies, refiners or investment banks and other financial speculators that are to blame for the disparity in different energy prices and their relation to supply and demand.

“This is why we need the European commission to investigate,” said the AA spokesman. “It is unclear – and yet in the US, Australia and south-east Asia there is published information on all this that makes it easier to see what is happening. Is it the middlemen who are doing the damage here? We have no way of proving it.”

Both Shell and BP have sold off their key refineries in Britain but new owners such an Ineos and Petroplus have had financial problems, with the latter currently running its Coryton refinery in Essex that shut down yesterday.

Meanwhile, motorists are facing further cost increases, with the AA warning that the average annual comprehensive insurance premium stands at £971.40 – up 5.4% on October and 15.3% on last year.

The rising cost of motoring will put more pressure on the government to delay further tax rises on petrol and diesel. Quentin Willson, a former Top Gear presenter and a leading light in the FairFuelUK campaign group, said in a blog: “The battle for affordable fuel has only just begun and FairFuel is the only gladiator in town. George Osborne wants another duty rise later this year. I’m determined that’s not going to happen.”

Did you know we can save a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  
Visit www.forecourtfuels.co.uk for more information.

Petrol retailers warned Treasury minister Danny Alexander in a face-to-face meeting that the financial crisis at the Coryton refinery in Essex – one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of fuel – would cause chaos at the forecourts if it ceased production.
RMI Petrol chairman Brian Madderson said: ‘I told him the Government needed to be aware that the refinery was in a critical state. It’s amber alert. I asked him what were the contingency plans.’
With reserves at ‘an all time low’ Mr Madderson said: ‘The country could grind to a halt.’
He said that Mr Alexander told him the Government was keeping a watching brief on events and that he had been trying in vain to speak to the Department for Energy today.
‘After warning them last week I wanted to ask what contingency plans have been put in place,’ he said. ‘But they’re not returning my calls.’

Motoring misery: Petrol retailers have warned that the crisis could cause snaking queues and chaos on the forecourts as pumps run dry. Mr Howitt told BBC Radio 5 Live the refinery was being dragged down by its parent company.
He said half the jobs were well-paid, highly skilled positions, while the other half were contractors, many of whom have already received their redundancy notices.
He said: ‘One thousand job losses in Essex will have a devastating impact on the local economy.
‘I don’t want to be alarmist about this, but I don’t want to be dishonest either. Supplies across London and the South East could be affected and I have been told this could impact the Olympics.’
He said that the closure could lead to petrol shortages and called on the Government to prevent ‘devastating consequences’.
The MEP said: ‘The Government cannot continue to stand back from the devastating consequences of this crisis.
‘The Government has failed to heed our warnings and done nothing to protect the jobs in my constituency and must now recognise it has a duty to assure security of supply without further delay.’
Motorists are already on course for a 2p a litre fuel price hike at the pumps that could take diesel prices to a new record high, the AA has warned.

It is adding £4.25 a month to already hard-pressed family budgets and increasing the cost of a fill-up for ‘Mondeo Man’ by  £1.40.
The AA said drivers have already seen a 1p a litre rise over the last fortnight – with another 1p now  in the pipeline as wholesale prices rises work their way through to forecourts.
It said latest data from industry price trackers Experian Catalist  showed that the latest average pump prices for petrol are133.66p, compared to 128.14p a year ago , and 111.80p in mid January 2010.
Diesel prices are now averaging 142.07p a litre compared to 132.53p a year ago and 111.91p in mid January 2010.
Record  pump prices set on  9 May 2011 are 137.43p a litre for petrol and 143.04p for diesel.
Retailers told Treasury minister Danny Alexander that the fuel crisis could cause chaos on Britain’s forecourts

The AA today urged motorists to not to panic buy, which could drain petrol stations of their reserves and lead to queues on the forecourts.
There are only eight refineries in the UK – at Fawley near Southampton, Grangemouth, Stanlow, Milford Haven, Lindsey in north Lincolnshire, South Killingholme and Pembroke, as well as Coryton.
They may now be called upon to help make up the shortfall following the 586-acre Essex site’s closure.

The refining market has come under pressure in recent years as operating expenses and the cost of crude oil surge at a greater rate than the value of the products.
A survey carried out by energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie in 2010 showed that 29 of 96 refineries in the EU did not generate a positive net cash margin.
However, the market has become tougher as the economic downturn in Europe has hit demand for transport fuels and competition has grown from the refineries in Asia.
Petroplus reported a net loss of $413million (£265m) in the first nine months of last year, while in December its banks withdrew a $1.05bn (£675m) portion of its $2.01bn (£1.29bn) credit facility.

The other main supplier for the South East and London is the Exxon Mobil refinery in Fawley, near Southampton.
There is speculation that former owners BP might be asked to step in to help protect a strategic energy supply.
BP, a major customer of the Coryton refinery, said it had no immediate supply issues but it was ‘watching the situation very closely’.
The refinery was operating as usual today but no deliveries of petrol or other products, including bitumen, were leaving the site, according to union officials.

Russ Ball, regional officer of Unite, said lorries would be ‘stacking up’ and were not allowed to leave because of the insolvency arrangements.
‘Crude oil is still being produced and the refinery is operating, but nothing is going out of the gate,’ he said. ‘I am still confident because the refinery is viable and productive and hopefully we will know more in the next 24 hours.’
Petrol deliveries to garages and supplies of bitumen for road building and repairs will be affected ‘pretty soon’, he said.
Professional services firm PwC confirmed it was appointed as administrator to the UK arm of Petroplus, which includes the Coryton refinery, an oil storage site in Teesside and a research and development site in Swansea.
PwC said Petroplus had suffered as a result of ‘low refining margins and high restructuring costs’.

Steven Pearson, joint administrator and PwC partner, said: ‘Our immediate priority is to continue to operate the Coryton refinery and the Teesside storage business without disruption while the financial position is clarified and restructuring options are explored.
‘Over coming days we intend to commence discussions with a number of parties including customers, employees, the creditors and the Government to secure the future of the Coryton and Teesside sites.’

Visit www.forecourtfuels.co.uk and see how our fuel cards can save you money on your next journey.

They claim their employer, haulage firm Wincanton, is trying to reduce their pay by as much as 20%.

But Wincanton said the industrial action was “wholly unnecessary” and could ultimately put jobs at risk.

Similar action is taking place at depots in Kingsbury in Warwickshire and at Stockton-on-Tees.

The Unite union is warning that deliveries to Jet petrol stations could be disrupted.

The drivers voted by four to one last week to take industrial action, with 95% taking part in the ballot.

Dave Monaghan, from Unite, claimed Wincanton wanted to “annihilate” the pay and conditions of drivers.

“Seven months ago the company approached us and asked us to enter into talks into a clear cost-down agenda on our terms and conditions, to enable them to keep their contract with ConocoPhillips.

“What we want is job security going forward. We don’t want extra pay. We are willing to negotiate anytime, anywhere.”

But in a statement Wincanton said it did “not understand why this strike is happening”, and claimed their drivers were “among the best rewarded in the UK”.

The company said: “There was never any question that Wincanton would implement new terms and conditions without mutual agreement.

“These discussions were derailed by Unite, who forced a ballot for industrial action.”

Fuel cards give your fleet drivers an easier and safer alternative to cash or plastic at the pumps.  Check out www.forecourtfuels.co.uk to see which package best suits you.

Figures show Nearly 157,000 people were tested between December 1 and January 1, this led to More than 7,200 people in England and Wales being arrested.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) says young drivers had a higher rate of offending at 5.7%, compared with 4% of over-25s.

Safety campaigners say the data shows warnings about drink and drug-driving are not working.

AA president Edmund King said he had hoped that positive tests across the UK would be lower this year but admitted the weather had played a part in previous figures.

He said: “We were worried that the absence of the snow and ice, which had kept many people at home around Christmas in the last two years, would lead to an increase.

Even just the one drink can significantly impair your judgement and for that reason I recommend drivers don’t drink alcohol and drive.”

Officers from 43 forces in England and Wales tested drivers at all times of the day and night.

Deputy Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police Suzette Davenport, who is Acpo lead for roads policing, said the consequences of drink and drug-driving were far-reaching.

She said: “It’s not only socially irresponsible but it raises serious issues for those that ignore the risks.

“Those convicted are likely to face a lengthy driving ban and possible loss of jobs and livelihoods, with some even facing imprisonment.”

Did you know we can save you a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit www.forecourtfuels.co.uk for more information.

Consumers can now text their vehicle registration to 60999 and within seconds will receive a message with the correct Oil for their vehicle. Texts are charged at the usual network text message rate of 25p per text.

Louise Donaldson, marketing manager for Q8Oils says: “With a wide range of domestic automotive oils in the marketplace, it’s very confusing for the consumer and this is further compounded by the lack of clarity around oil types.”

“Most oil purchases are made immediately, leaving the consumer little or no time to research and make an informed decision to purchase the right oil.”

“Using the wrong oil in your engine can cost thousands of pounds to put right. We wanted to launch a service that would add clarity to any purchase and ensure the consumer walked away with the right oil.”

This service is available nationwide.

Did you also know that  we can save you 3 pence on diesel pump prices when you use our fuels cards ? 

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A joint study by VTT Technical Research Centre and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) , suggests that new technology could reduce friction by up to 80 per cent in various components of a vehicle, meaning that it should be possible to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by 18 per cent within the next five years.

There are many factors that are attributed to friction in your vehicle, ranging from how much weight your vehicle is being loaded with right through to brake pads and tyre grip.

Further work in the field in reducing friction could result in a  61 per cent improvement in efficiency within 15 to 25 years.

According to the research, there are 612 million vehicles in the world today. The average van is calculated as clocking up an average of 13,000 km (8,078 miles) per year, and in the meantime burns 340 litres of fuel just to overcome friction, costing the driver £423 per year.

Of the energy output of fuel in a car engine, 33 per cent is spent in exhaust, 29 per cent in cooling and 38 per cent in mechanical energy, of which friction losses account for 33 per cent and air resistance for 5 per cent. By comparison, an electric car has only half the friction loss of that of a car with a conventional internal combustion engine.

Annual friction loss in an average car worldwide amounts to 11,860 MJ: of this, 35 per cent  is spent in overcoming rolling resistance in the wheels, 35 per cent in the engine itself, 15 per cent in the gearbox and 15 per cent in braking. With current technology, only 21.5 per cent of the energy output of the fuel is used to actually move the car; the rest is wasted.

Gear box friction

Technologies such as new surface coatings, surface textures, lubricant additives, low-viscosity lubricants, ionic liquids and low-friction tyres could all help cut fuel consumption. Friction could be reduced by 10 per cent to 50 per cent using new surface technologies alone,  such as diamond-like carbon materials and nanocomposites. In 2009, a total of 208,000 million litres of fuel was burned in cars worldwide just to overcome friction; this amounts to 7.3 million TJ (terajoules) of energy. Theoretically, introducing the best current technological solutions in all of the world’s cars could save £289,103 million per year;  with the best solutions to emerge over the next 10 years saving £577,340 million per year.

Did know you we can save a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices when using one of our fuel cards?  

Visit   www.forecourtfuels.co.uk    for more information.