Asda was the first to announce the discount, which follows similar reductions towards the end of last month.

Sainsbury’s and Tesco followed suit, saying they would also slash 2p off their prices.

Welcoming the move, the president of roadside recovery group AA, Edmund King, said: “Once again the supermarkets have led the way on fuel price reductions.

He said that many people are cutting back on the number of car journeys they make because of the high cost of fuel.

“This reduction will go a little way towards helping families and businesses keep mobile,” he added.

Asda’s petrol trading director, Andy Peake, said his company was “leading the way” in reducing the price at the pump.

A Tesco spokesman said: “As Britain’s biggest petrol retailer with 490 forecourts, more motorists will make savings at the pumps at Tesco than at any other fuel retailer.”

And Sainsbury’s head of fuel, Richard Crampton, said: “With Christmas on the horizon, we know that this can be an expensive time of year so we’re delighted to announce that we will be lowering our petrol and diesel prices.”

In recent news, New tyres could save you £280 per company van!

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

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

Now that the Government are putting information on Whitehall spending and procurement contracts on the internet to increase transparency, Mr Halfon said the same should be done for fuel duty.

According to FairFuelUK, out of a petrol or diesel fill up of £85, nearly £50 goes straight to the Treasury as tax.

Kate Gibbs, a spokesperson for Road Haulage Association said, “This initiative will serve as a real wake up call to all users of road fuels; petrol or diesel.”

FairFuelUK was central to a campaign that successfully deferred a 3p fuel duty increase from August to January 2013. However, it is now hoping to squash the increase all together and claims if it were to go ahead, the tax take per fuel purchase would become 59.32 percent.

“Filling the tank, regardless of size, has always been costly. If the cost of the fuel duty and the VAT is clearly shown on the receipt, it will make users far more aware of just where their money is going,”

“The price of fuel has become a wide reaching political issue; it affects everyone. If this move for transparency goes ahead, fuel pricing has the potential to become a real vote winner, or indeed vote loser”, continued Gibbs.

This is a move that could benefit the economy in general and the road haulage sector in particular as customers will see that they are getting the best possible rate for the job.

Mr Halfon’s campaign is backed by FairFuelUK, which has gathered more than 15,000 signatures on a petition.

Earlier this year, Chancellor George Osborne delayed a planned 3p rise in fuel duty from August 1st to January 1st next year following campaigns against it.

In other news,  Is your fleet fuel bill giving you nightmares?

Achieve added control over your fuel purchases. www.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk will help you to manage your account and transactions for optimum efficiency and convenience

Our research shows that driving at 50 mph can use 25% less fuel than at 70mph; a reduction from 80 to 70mph can save 40p every 10 miles and driving at 90mph can use 60% more fuel than at 70mph.

But it is one thing preaching better, more fuel-efficient driving styles – getting drivers to follow this advice is quite another.
Incentives can be introduced to persuade staff to drive more efficiently or opt for more economic vehicles.

Keeping on top of where your fuel bill is being used can be a logistical nightmare at the best of times and regular driving tips just don’t get through to some drivers.

Offering encouragement and rewards can help reduce the overall fuel bill and a review of vehicle policy can provide savings.

Another way of taking control of your fleet fuel consumption is by using Fuelcards, a fuel card looks and works in a similar way to a credit card but with a few fundamental differences.
Firstly a fuelcard will save you money on each litre of fuel that you buy. It is also usually restricted to only allow the purchase of diesel / petrol, secondly, when it is used to make a purchase, both the vehicle registration and mileages are recorded against the respective transactions. Finally, your fuel card invoice also doubles up as a fuel management report, showing date / time / place of each sale, registration number, mileage of the vehicle collecting the fuel and of course how much was drawn. It will also then go on to separate the VAT element of all transactions for you.

Please check out this video for more information:

In other news,Saving Money on Diesel and Petrol

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.forecourtfuelcards.co.uk  for more information

Members of Greenpeace carried out the planned attack on the Shell garage in Beddington Lane, which left the station unable to trade for three hours, in a protest over the company’s plans to drill for oil in the Arctic.

Shocked staff could do nothing but look on as protesters stormed the forecourt at around 7.45am on Monday and chained the pumps, using padlocks to stop them working.

Station manager Shailesh Patel said: “I had just arrived after it happened and one of the workers was here; he did not know what to do.

“He had been serving customers and a load of people from Greenpeace came and padlocked all of our pumps so they could not be used.

“They were coming in and waiting for customers to finish fuelling then as soon as they put the pumps down, they were chaining them up.

“We were shut for three hours; in that time normally we would have sold 4,000 litres of petrol here.”

And Croydon was not the only place to be targeted by the campaign group.

Activists shut down more than 50 other petrol stations in London and Edinburgh in their protest on Monday.

As well as padlocking the pumps, the activists were also shutting down stations by using an emergency shut-off switch to stop petrol going to the pumps, then removing a fuse to delay it being switched on again.

In other news, Shell employ petrol pump attendants to fill your tank

Let www.forecourtfuels.co.uk show you the best deals based on your individual requirements, from your estimated fuel spend to the size of your fleet.    

The study concluded that there was evidence that the motor insurance industry operated in a “dysfunctional way that could push up premiums for drivers by £225m a year”.

The inquiry could have benefits for fleets: they are vulnerable to increased claims cost if they have a collision with a privately-owned vehicle.

The focus of the investigation is how insurers handle third-party repair and replacement car costs. Although the at-fault driver’s insurer is responsible for picking up the tab, the no-fault insurer usually has control over who provides these services.

Consequently, some companies are using expensive referral schemes or pre-existing arrangements with price control when organising repairs and courtesy cars.

Fleet insurers have long warned fleets to report incidents immediately as this gives them the best chance of taking control of such costs which can minimise the impact on the fleet’s insurance premiums.

Larry Smith, MD of Towergate Insurance, said: “It is inevitable that any positive change brought about by the Competition Commission review of the private motor insurance sector will be looked at by the other motor sectors including fleet.

“The fleet sector shares many of the same issues as private motor with personal injury and credit hire costs inflating third-party claims, which in turn are having a negative effect on premiums. Any action to help reduce these costs will be very welcome.”

Insurers have long complained that credit hire and repair has been a source of excessive costs which do not benefit insurers or consumers.

An Aviva spokesman said: “There is no quick fix and it is our hope that the Competition Commission will bring fundamental reform which will help reduce cost pressure; we would also like to see the ban on referral fees that will apply from next April extended to include credit hire firms.”

The OFT has concluded that the insurance industry should be competing on the basis of price and service but instead is “focusing on gaining the competitive edge through raising rival insurers’ costs” and increasing their own revenues.

Andrew Moody, managing director of Retail Motor Law, who used to work in the body repair industry before becoming a solicitor, undertook a two-year study for OFT which he believes was instrumental in its findings.

“The whole industry needs to be looked at as this will affect fleet customers as well as private motorists,” he said. “Fleets must put something into practice to minimise third-party claims.”

He suggests that fleets investigate having their own contract with one of the national networks to handle third-party repairs and replacement vehicle hire without the expense of a third party organising it.

He says if fleets can offer a reasonable service at lower cost to the no-fault party, they can limit their liability.

The other party has a legal duty to mitigate costs wherever possible, so choosing a more expensive alternative for repair may not be acceptable.

Donna Scully, chair of the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS), said: “The scale of the problem with the repair and replacement vehicles is immense and it remains to be seen what more will be uncovered.

“Money is clearly being made from consumers behind their backs and MASS would welcome full disclosure of specific fee income on every case.

“Insurers, solicitors, government and regulators need to stop blaming one another.

“We urge the Government to bring all parties together, not just insurers, to find a solution that is right for consumers and protects genuine accident victims.”

The Association of British Insurers has welcomed the OFT’s decision, saying it has long called for an investigation into inflated pricing for credit hire vehicles and excessive hire periods.

The insurance industry has cited personal injury claims as the cause of rising premiums and this remains a problem.

Although road accidents fell by 23% between 2005 and 2010, to just 154,000, the number of personal injury claims in 2010-11 has risen by 70% to 791,000, costing insurers more than £2bn.

In other driving news: The Transport Secretary warns of fuel duty to rise in August.

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 your fleet’s needs.   

The talks follow an agreement by five companies involved in the dispute to extend the union’s ballot mandate until Tuesday April 24. The agreement lifts the need for Unite to give seven days’ notice of a limited one-hour stoppage today. All six employers will be involved in the talks.

The re-ballot came as concerns were raised that a number of members did not receive ballot papers. The union will be balloting members who deliver fuel for Shell and Esso from 26 April to 8 May.

The Hoyer tanker drivers had voted 59.7% in favour of strikes on a turnout of almost 80% in the previous ballot.

Unite assistant general secretary Diana Holland said: “We remain committed to reaching a negotiated settlement with Hoyer and the other employers that brings stability and security to the supply of a vital commodity.

“It has come to our attention that a number of people did not receive ballot papers. This is a concern because we believe that everyone should have a say. We will be seeking a fresh mandate from our members in Hoyer who – like all tanker drivers – face a race to the bottom in an increasingly fragmented industry.”

In other news, the IAM is urging drivers to improve their awareness of vulnerable road users.

Achieve added control over your fuel purchases. www.forecourtfuels.co.uk will help you to manage your account and transactions for optimum efficiency and convenience.

The study also found that 58 per cent of drivers had been cut-up in the last six months by another road user who didn’t look properly, and that 40 per cent of these incidents took place in a 30mph zone. The Institute also

In order to minimise the chances of such accidents occurring, the IAM is urging drivers to improve their awareness of vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists and cyclists, using their mirrors before changing direction, especially in traffic queues, and giving cyclists space when overtaking, bearing in mind they might need to negotiate drains and potholes.

It also advises drivers that if motorcyclists and cyclists are trying to pass in heavy traffic to let them through, to give them clear and early signals so that they have time to react and to check for bikes before opening the driver’s door when parked.

Simon Best, IAM chief executive, said: “the occurrence of drivers not looking before a manouvre are happening far too often, and very few people are prepared to take responsibility for their part in them happening. It’s always someone else’s fault. All road users need to be more aware of who they are sharing the road with, and the risks they present.

“Other road users’ intentions can often be guessed by their body language and position on the road, so drive defensively, and leave room so that if somebody does do something unexpected, you have time to deal with it.”

Let www.forecourtfuels.co.uk show you the best deals based on your individual requirements, from your estimated fuel spend to the size of your fleet.    

Last year, they saw off rises that would have put another 9p per litre on the cost of every litre of petrol and diesel.  That was important, but petrol & diesel remain far too expensive.  In fact, diesel is already at record levels!   Peter says  “We know from the reaction of Ministers and MPs that the FairFuel UK campaign has had a real impact on the Government.  The thousands of letters and emails, the media events, the meetings with groups of MPs and their presence on the TV and Radio have had an enormous impact.  However, sometimes, it’s important that the politicians actually get to meet the people suffering because of an issue.”

To that end, they are holding a mass lobby of Parliament during the afternoon of Wednesday March 7th.  As citizens we have the right to enter Parliament and ask to see your MP.  This right is centuries old.  When lots of people agree to do this on the same day about the same issue is called a ‘mass lobby’

They understand that it’s probably not every day that someone suggests such a thing.  However, they will only force a cut in fuel duty if the Government is persuaded of the depth of feeling on this subject.

FairFuel UK ask that may be that you could get a group from your company to go along. Even if you’d never normally go to an event like this, please consider going and supporting this important event.  It really will make a difference.

National FairFuel Day is on March 7^th

Did you know our Fuel Cards can save a guaranteed 3 pence per litre on diesel pump prices ?  

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

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.