Latest Fuel News

The London Congestion Charge will be 10 years old on Sunday 17 February. The FTA is calling on the powers-that-be to consider offering the freight and logistics industry the gift of free access which FTA says should be granted for essential users.

The  FTA is asking ‘Transport for London’ the organisation responsible for the congestion charge – to drop the charge on freight operators who have no option other than to use the city’s roads and Congestion Charge zones. The London Congestion Charge was introduced on 17 February 2003 and includes the whole of the City of London, the financial district, and the West End, London’s primary commercial and entertainment centre, and remains today one of the largest congestion charge zones in the world.

In order for London businesses to thrive, to be at the centre of the world economy and to attract tourists, the capital is dependent on the thousands of deliveries made to shops and businesses every day, and FTA is asking ‘Transport for London’ to recognise that this inevitably leads to an essential requirement for goods vehicles to enter central London, which are subject to the Congestion Charge.

FTA’s Head of Policy, Natalie Chapman, said:

“Whilst traffic has now risen back to pre-charging levels, there is no doubt that congestion in central London would be far worse without it. However, FTA believes that the Congestion Charge is purely a tax on deliveries and its focus should be to deter discretionary or non-essential journeys where there is an option to choose an alternative time or to use public transport.”

FTA states it fully recognises that the aim of the Congestion Charge is to reduce congestion, CO2 emissions and improve air quality, but considers the charge to be a ‘tax on deliveries’ as in many cases the delivery driver has no choice but to enter the Congestion Charge zone. In addition, FTA is asking that where the vehicle is essential to the journey and the user has little or no choice, such as is the case for blue badge holders, a 100 per cent discount is and should continue to be offered.

FTA also makes the point that it is not feasible to deliver goods on public transport and nor are alternative modes practical for the to-the-door deliveries that central London requires. With no charge-free breaks available in the daytime to encourage deliveries to be made outside of rush hour, the Association is appealing to ‘Transport for London’ to consider all available options for providing discounts and exemptions to the scheme for freight.

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Fleet companies could make significant fuel savings by reducing the amount of weight in the back of vans and light goods vehicles, according to new research from the Energy Saving Trust.

The Energy Saving Trust says that if half the goods vehicle drivers in the UK lightened their vehicles by 75kg it would save around £50m on diesel each year, this would also result in 100,000 fewer tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

The figures are based on new research carried out by the Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies – on behalf of the Energy Saving Trust, which for the first time models the impact of weight on fuel consumption using real-world driving conditions.

The research studied empty and fully loaded LGVs on typical urban and rural driving routes that accurately represent everyday driving conditions.

Under these conditions the research found that a typical car-derived van, will use around 26% less fuel when empty compared to when fully loaded and for panel vans such as the Peugeot Boxer, the difference in fuel consumption was up to 33%.

Energy Saving Trust senior knowledge manager Tim Anderson said: ‘Drivers often treat commercial vans as mobile store rooms for rarely needed equipment or parts, reducing the vehicle’s fuel economy. In addition, items such as unused roof racks add to air resistance, which increases fuel consumption.

‘Reducing the amount of additional weight in a vehicle will not only improve their fuel economy but it may also reveal that they have more space than they need.

‘As a result, businesses could consider downsizing their fleets and opting for smaller, more economical vehicles which better suit their company needs.’

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Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls has said delaying the 3p fuel duty rise will help people  and fleet fuel businesses already feeling the pinch

Labour is to force a Commons vote on Monday that it hopes will lead to the postponement of a planned 3p per litre rise in fuel duty in January.

The Treasury said the postponement of earlier planned duty rises had already helped keep fuel costs down.

Writing on the PoliticsHome website, Mr Balls argued that a strong economic recovery was not yet secure and families and fleet businesses were still feeling the squeeze as well as the price of fuel affecting the economy.

Postponing the planned 3p rise until at least April could be paid for, he believes, by clamping down on tax avoidance schemes used by employment agencies.

The Government needs to act and clamp down on those avoiding paying their fair share of tax”

“There is a growing problem with some employment agencies forcing workers to become employees of an umbrella company,” he wrote.

“They then falsely inflate the worker’s travel and food expense claims, reducing tax and national insurance, and pocket the avoided tax as profits.

According to Mr Balls, “Even if only a proportion of that money was recouped it could pay for the fuel duty rise to be put off until next spring.”

Labour will use one of its allotted opposition day debates in the Commons to force the vote, which is non-binding.

Pressure group the Taxpayers’ Alliance launched a campaign earlier this year to have fuel duties frozen until 2015.

Another campaign group, FairFuelUK, claims that allowing the 3p tax rise to go ahead in January could lead to 35,000 job losses, and hit economic growth.

In recent petrol saving news, Supermarkets battle it out for Christmas trade

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By the end of this year the EU gender directive will be implemented putting a ban on gender based pricing for motor Insurance forcing  car insurance premiums for women up by 24%.

Last year, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that the long-established practice of setting insurance prices according to gender is illegal discrimination.

The Court’s decision forced members of the European Union to introduce a ban on gender-based pricing, and this ban will come into force on 21 December 2012.

Currently, women drivers typically pay less for car insurance than their male counterparts because they are statistically safer behind the wheel.

A report by HM Treasury states financial services providers should be allowed to make sensible decisions based on sound analysis of relevant risk factors.

What’s more, young women will feel the effects of this ruling the most – a 24 per cent rise in the cost of car insurance for 17 to 25-year-old females, according to government figures.

However, while the EU ruling is bad news for women, it’s good news for men’s prices, particularly young male drivers who can expect their premiums to fall.

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A recent survey by ALD Automotive has revealed that a quarter of large businesses have identified cutting spending on fleet fuel as their number one priority

Business drivers are also taking measures to reduce costs, a separate ALD survey found.

In order to save fuel, over two-thirds were reducing speed and driving more smoothly. Half reported shopping around to find the cheapest deal and a fifth said they were cutting down on mileage.

ALD Automotive managing director Keith Allen said: “As the fuel price continues to rise, it has become increasingly important for fleet management suppliers to work in partnership with their customers and their drivers in helping deliver initiatives that can help deliver cost savings from improved fuel management.”

Fuel prices have surged in recent weeks, leaving many businesses reeling from the effects.

High prices may explain some of the decline in fuel as a benefit in kind, demonstrated in recent HMRC figures which showed the benefit to be in the sharpest decline.

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Sussex safer roads want you to know that between 2008 and 2010 over 70 people that were driving for work were killed and seriously injured on Sussex’s roads? 

Did you know that speed limits are lower for vans and commercial vehicles than for cars? 

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership have developed a free road safety package specifically for business drivers for ‘COSTS’ (Company Operator Safer Transport Scheme) Project.  Offering free Occupational Road Risk assessments, free Lunch and Learn workshops and free information resources, COSTS aims to drive down Sussex road injuries and help companies to improve their bottom lines through reduced repair bills.

Their new short film looks at the issue of van speed limits, as well as the benefits seen by local Sussex businesses from the free Lunch and Learn workshops.  Take a few moments to watch the film, a must for drivers from all over the country.

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One in three motorists have voiced concerns that mileage reimbursement rates given by their employer were unfair when driving on behalf of the business.

The survey revealed that 66.7% of the drivers asked were satisfied with the amount they were eligible to claim for. During 2011 the Government released guidelines on fuel mileage rates for business vehicles, with the objective to reduce the time spent on calculating fuel rates for both employer and employee alike.

According to the survey there is controversy surrounding the government guidelines, as employees have the possibility of losing out if the guideline rates are used too rigidly. The report shows that employees can be left financially out of pocket; warning employers that this may leave them susceptible to the danger of employees inflating their claims in order to make up their financial loss.

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Greenergy, the UK’s leading supplier of petrol and diesel, has purchased assets at the former Petroplus facility in Teesside from the joint administrators of Petroplus Refining Teesside Ltd, PwC. 

Located at Seal Sands, the terminal was previously operated by Petroplus as a diesel storage and supply location but ceased commercial operations shortly after the company went into administration earlier in the year.  Greenergy has been supplying its customers in the region from the neighbouring Vopak terminal, where it has invested in fuel manufacturing, storage and distribution facilities.

Andrew Owens, Greenergy chief executive, said: “The North East is an important hub in our UK fuel infrastructure platform and an area where we have significant sales volume.  We will continue to manufacture fuel and supply our customers from the Vopak facility.  Once it has been developed, this new site will be integrated into our existing North East system to give additional product and manufacturing capability.

“This strategic infrastructure investment follows Greenergy’s recent acquisition of assets at the Coryton refinery in a joint venture with Vopak and Shell.”

The terminal will remain closed for commercial supply over the next few months while development plans for the site are drawn up in cooperation with the relevant authorities.  The plans will include the construction of a new rail head, making Teesside the hub of Greenergy’s rail distribution network and allowing efficient movement of fuel between Teesside and its other UK locations by rail rather than by road or ship.

The 20 personnel currently working at the site will remain in employment and will assist in the development planning.

The acquisition follows investments by Greenergy in storage and distribution facilities at Coryton (2012), Cardiff (2010) Teesside (2009), Plymouth (2008) and West Thurrock on the Thames (2008).

Steven Pearson and Ian Green of PwC, joint administrators of Petroplus Refining Teesside Ltd since January 24, 2012,  said they were pleased to have completed the sale to Greenergy of  “substantially all of the company’s assets on  July 25″.

Pearson said: “This has been a very challenging administration due to the complex nature of the site and the number of stakeholders involved. We are pleased to have been able to secure a sale of the vast majority of the company’s assets to Greenergy, and in doing so preserving key infrastructure assets in the North East of England.

“All parties involved have worked extremely hard to achieve this outcome and I would personally like to thank the employees, advisors and relevant authorities who have gone the extra mile to help achieve this outcome.”

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Confused motorists were steering clear of Olympic lanes this week – even though they don’t come into force for the next 9 days.

Thousands of cars could be seen diverting away from the VIP-only “Games lanes” – fearing a £130 fine – as confusion spread about their operation.

The only Olympic lane to come into force today was on the M4 from Heathrow into central London, with the former M4 bus lane reserved for athletes and 2012 dignitaries.

A Transport for London spokesman said: “The M4 is flowing well today and central London traffic is down by 10 per cent, showing people have heeded our message not to drive in central London.”

But on main roads across the capital already painted with the Olympic rings logo, designating them as Games lanes, drivers were seen cutting into the middle lane — causing bottlenecks in the process.

This was happening on roads such as the A4 – while on the A40 Marylebone Road, the Games lane was empty of vehicles, causing congestion in the “normal” lane.

All Games lanes except that on the M4 remain open to all traffic until July 25 – two days before the opening ceremony – in a bid to minimise disruption to motorists.

Eltham MP Clive Efford called for leniency after raising the fines issue with Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe last week.

The police chief insisted there would be tough enforcement. “ People have to respect the lanes,” Mr Efford said. “But when the enforcement comes in, they [police] have got to look at the circumstances and if it’s a simple mistake, then I think they should look at it favourably.”

Some drivers said the lane system was so poorly signposted it was causing confusion and tailbacks, especially on access roads to the motorway.

Max Oppenheim, 40, a hedge fund manager from Chiswick, said: “I have been past it three times and only noticed the sign saying ‘ Olympic Lanes’ once.

“It is causing a bottleneck at the access after Hogarth roundabout, as when you come off, people are instantly cutting in from the right lane to avoid it.

“I effectively got T-boned. You can’t see it from a hundred yards back. There needs to be more clarity”.

However, Pedro Cintra, 40, who works for a media company, said: “ The road is fine, the Olympic Lane made no difference. The traffic was no worse than usual.”

Van driver Phil Roberts, 30, said: “The M4 was okay and the traffic was better than last week when it was closed. I wasn’t aware of the lane though and didn’t see the signs.”

The M4 lane can, in theory, operate between 5am and 10pm but will be activated based on demand.

It stretches along 3.5 miles of the eastbound M4 between junctions 3 and 2 —  the route of the former M4 bus lane which was abolished by the Coalition government. All other motorists are banned from the lane during operating hours but licensed taxi drivers are exempt.

Vehicles of 7.5 tonnes-plus are banned from the M4 link during ongoing repairs to the damaged Boston Manor flyover and are being diverted along the A4. But official Olympic coaches and buses are exempt from the ban.

Elsewhere in the capital jams have formed on roads as motorists avoid the lanes marked with the Olympic rings — even though most of the restrictions will not be activated until 6am on Wednesday 25 July.

Traffic has built up on an eastbound stretch of the North Circular near Wembley as three lanes of traffic converge into two. Motorists claimed a sign saying the Olympic lane was not in use was not clearly visible.

In other news, Stuck in a traffic jam for five and a half days !

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