We Are Here For You

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Life as we know it has been on hold during the Covid-19 lockdown. However, for many of our customers, especially those who work in couriering, haulage, logistics, freight, construction and transport, it is business as usual. And for some, they are even busier than they were before lock down.

Therefore, our top priority during this uncertain and testing time continues to be providing an uninterrupted service. Our customers are the key links within Britain’s supply chain. Never has it been more important for fleets to get from A to B in a timely and safe manner. And the Fuellers have been here every step of the way.  

Working remotely from our homes has not deterred us from delivering our high standard of customer service. Our fuel cards continue to be distributed so that drivers have access to the fuel they need to carry out the important work that they do.   

Our Account Managers continue to be in communication with our customers to offer reassurance during this time of uncertainty for many businesses.

They aim to ensure clients are taking advantage of all The Fuel Store’s services that are available to them and which can prove useful during this time.  

Whilst we have faced mounting challenges along with many other small and family run businesses at this time, there does seem to be a continued and slowly increasing demand for commercial fuel. Our Fuel Card Specialists are still supporting new customers with getting set up with fuel solutions, which is a possible sign that some businesses are starting to return to work and/or pivot their fleets to service the pandemic response efforts of the essential services.  

When called upon, our team have made sure that new customers receive all the fuel cards they require as quickly as possible to ensure fleets remain on the road. Our dedicated family of Fuellers have been a friendly and familiar voice at the end of the phone, offering advice and support where needed to customers new and old. 

With signs that lockdown measures are set to be eased by the government following the Prime Minister’s national update yesterday evening (Sunday 10th May 2020), we are here to  help should you need any guidance or advice regarding the latest changes and how they might affect your fleet.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a query or would like to know more about our Fuel Cards and other fleet services. We are here to help you now as we have always been and as we will continue to be for the remainder of the pandemic and beyond.

Questions Facing Fleet Managers – COVID-19

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a testing time to say the least for individuals and businesses across the UK.  To support the government’s lockdown measures, difficult decisions had to be made that will undoubtedly have a knock-on effect for businesses. 

The situation is continuously changing and as talks of easing lockdown restrictions arise, the uncertainty surrounding rules and regulations for company fleet management continues. 

The uncertainty in how long the lockdown measures will last has made it increasingly difficult for businesses to know how to address their future fleet requirements. Fleet managers must find answers to questions they haven’t faced before. 

To support our customers, the Fueller family has pulled together to offer reassurance and a continuation of service in this time of need. In order to offer further support and provide some clarity, we thought we should share some answers to questions currently facing fleet managers and business owners here in our blog. 

Of course, our dedicated team remain on hand to help, so If you require any support during this time, please don’t hesitate to contact our team via the usual channels.  

How can you maintain car tyres when a vehicle isn’t moving for an extended period? 

Not using a car for several weeks could cause problems for the tyres. As the weight of your vehicle presses down on the tread area, which remains unchanged if you don’t move the car, your tyres could deform. This could damage the internal structure and cause deflation. If possible, take the car for an uninterrupted 15-minute drive at least once a week. Before driving longer distances, be sure to check the pressure and adjust if needed. 

Do I still need to get my vehicle’s MOT if it is due to expire during lockdown? 

The government announced that your car, van or motorcycle’s MOT expiry date will be extended by 6 months if it’s due on or after 30 March 2020. However, the government’s guidelines highlight that you must keep your vehicle safe to drive. 

The extension also applies to vehicles that are due their first MOT test on or after 30 March 2020. 

You must make sure your vehicle is roadworthy. It can be unsafe even if your MOT expiry date has been extended. 

Take your vehicle to be repaired at the nearest open garage if it’s unsafe. Garages can stay open during the coronavirus outbreak. 

How should I keep my vehicle maintained during lockdown? 

It’s not a good idea to leave a vehicle parked untouched for weeks or months on end.  

Even if dealership showrooms are closed, garages are still allowed to remain open for urgent repairs and maintenance. This may be a good time to schedule an appointment for maintenance or to swap winter tyres back to summer tyres. 

What useful things can you do now you have more time due to COVID-19? 

Just a few weeks ago, fleet managers filled most of their time with the day-to-day operation of their vehicle fleets. With many fleets operating at reduced capacity, there is plenty of time to focus on other areas and ensuring you are using your time productively. 

You could take this time to offer online training. Businesses are seeing the benefits of online meetings and fleet managers can use the technology to produce courses on driver behaviour. The importance of driver safety has never been more paramount and will also positively affect your fleet in the long term.  

My vehicles are not being used during this period. Do I have to carry out a pre-use inspection before I put them into use again?  

Although it is always recommended that a pre-use inspection is carried out before putting vehicles that have been stood idle back into service, the traffic commissioners recognise that operators will want to start using vehicles as soon as possible and there may be delays in businesses starting again when there may not be enough slots available at maintainers to inspect vehicles. 

How can we ensure the safety of our drivers? 

Firstly, to reduce the spread of COVID-19, sanitising shared equipment must become part of your safety routine. 

The Department for Transport (DfT) issued guidelines to reinforce the fact that all drivers must have access to welfare facilities in the premises they visit as part of their work. With the advice for hands to be washed regularly, failure to allow access to welfare facilities may increase the risk of the COVID-19 infection spreading. 

DfT also announced the temporary and limited relaxation of the enforcement of drivers’ hours rules in England, Scotland, and Wales for the drivers of vehicles involved in the delivery of food, non-food and over the counter pharmaceuticals. However, the DfT are clear that driver safety must not be compromised, and they should not be expected to drive whilst tired.  

For more details of the government’s guidelines for fleets, click here.

How can we ensure the safety of our drivers?

Firstly, to reduce the spread of COVID-19, sanitising shared equipment must become part of your safety routine.

The Department for Transport (DfT) issued guidelines to reinforce the fact that all drivers must have access to welfare facilities in the premises they visit as part of their work. With the advice for hands to be washed regularly, failure to allow access to welfare facilities may increase the risk of the COVID-19 infection spreading.

DfT also announced the temporary and limited relaxation of the enforcement of drivers’ hours rules in England, Scotland, and Wales for the drivers of vehicles involved in the delivery of food, non-food and over the counter pharmaceuticals. However, the DfT are clear that driver safety must not be compromised, and they should not be expected to drive whilst tired.

You can gain access to more details on government guidelines here.

Alternatively, take a look at our post to discover how we can help keep our fleet operators safe in a post COVID society.

How To Stay Productive Working From Home

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For many businesses, working from home is a foreign concept and has been another obstacle for businesses to face during this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Like thousands of businesses across the UK, The Fuel Store has temporarily closed our head office to contribute to the global effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. However, we recognise the work we do is an essential part of our customers’ supply chain in ensuring you can keep your fleets on the road.

Where possible, we have ensured our employees can continue their vital roles safely at home. By utilising remote working technologies, our teams can work alongside one another, albeit remotely yet remaining productive.  Our Fuellers are proving our outstanding service can continue to be delivered at this crucial time.

Working from home is a challenge, especially with nurseries and schools closed. It is also easy to be distracted in the comfort of your home. Working on your own can also leave you feeling isolated, so it’s important to keep up morale within your teams.

So how do we stay focused and productive?

We have put together some simple steps to take to begin your working day at home. Plus, we have some tips on maintaining productivity, even during the inevitable afternoon slump.

Step 1 – Get up, showered and dressed, just as you would for the commute to work.  

Step 2 – Before you sit down to work, take your daily walk or run, or do some stretches and a few minutes of meditation.

Step 3 – Create a designated work space, away from where you’d usually relax. I.e. Not on the sofa in the lounge!

Top Tip: Drink plenty of water throughout the day, as well as having a caffeine fix. Snack on nuts and fruit rather than reaching for the treat cupboard.

Step 4 – Make sure you take a break from your laptop every hour and a half.

Step 5 – Always have a lunch break, and not at your desk!

Top tip: Before eating, take your daily walk/run or try out a new online exercise routine. It will change your mindset and help you to keep productive throughout the afternoon.

Step 6: Keep in touch with colleagues throughout the day, via Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or Skype. It’s a good idea to make phone calls to talk through any projects or queries, rather than just emailing. Human interaction will keep morale high.

Step 7: Make sure you finish work at the usual time. Turn off your laptop and put it away ready for your next working day.

 

Feel free to share these ideas to colleagues and employees, and let us know how you are keeping morale and productivity high.

For more information about the government Covid-19 guidelines for businesses, click here.

COVID-19 Pandemic: We Are Keeping Our Nation’s Fleets on the Road

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Here at The Fuel Store, we recognise that the work we do directly contributes to the success of the UK economy and is an essential part of our customer’s supply chain in ensuring you can keep your fleets on the road.  

During this unprecedented time of the COVID-19 pandemic, never has this statement been more true. We have taken every step necessary and are working harder than ever to keep our services running to make sure our customers can keep their fleets on the road. 

Our customers are some of the key links within Britain’s supply chain, delivering goods to ensure shelves continue to be stacked, raw materials continue to be supplied, ultimately ensuring our nation’s heart continues to beat. We are here to support them with their efforts, and we are here for you, too. 

Being a family run business, we are also being impacted by the challenges facing all of us at this time, we understand the pressures that businesses around the UK are facing. This has made us more determined than ever to give you peace of mind by delivering uninterrupted and highly effective services to manage your fuel expenditure.

 Your fleets need to be kept moving and our customers and the wider fleet community have our continued support. We will ensure fuel cards are distributed and your drivers have access to the fuel they need to carry out the important work that they do.  

Providing uninterrupted service to our customers remains our top priority.  

Where possible, we have ensured our employees can continue their vital roles safely at home. Utilising remote working technologies, our teams can continue to work alongside one another and are proving that even in such challenging times, our Fuellers have unwavering commitment to ensure outstanding service continues to be delivered at this crucial time.  

 If you need our support or assistance you can continue to contact us via the usual channels. We are here to support you as we always have been. 

 In times like these, families must come together and support one another, and the Fueller family is no different. We are confident that the steps we have taken mean that we will be able to continue to deliver our essential services.  

 On behalf of The Fuel Store family, we want to say a massive heart felt thank you to all of those who are putting themselves at risk to keep vital services running. 

How to Ensure the Safety of Your Fleet Drivers

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Our aim at The Fuel Store is to keep our nation’s businesses moving forward by providing fuel cards and other essential fleet services. We also like to ensure fleet driver safety on our busy roads. A new report has highlighted the importance for fleet managers to comply with basic vehicle standards to avoid ‘tragic’ consequences on our roads.

The report, by Brake’s Global Fleet Champions, a not-for-profit global campaign to prevent crashes, states that fleet managers should be regularly checking and servicing safety-critical components, such as brakes and tyres. This will help fix small problems early on before they escalate into costly repairs and expensive insurance claims.

John Eastman, from the Institute of Road Transport Engineers, suggests that fleet managers should take a systematic approach in maintaining their vehicles to ensure fleet driver safety. Mr Eastman says that preventative maintenance has lots of benefits. This includes the safety and well being of drivers and other road users.

There was also advice from Autoglass in the report. They advise fleet managers on how they can effectively maintain advanced driver-assistant systems (ADAS) for the technology to work effectively.

Keeping Up With The Latest Technology

Jeremy Rochfort, national sales manager for Autoglass said: “The adoption rate of ADAS in fleet vehicles is much higher as fleet cars tend to be newer and come with up-to-date safety features. However, our research shows that keeping up to date with technology ranks low down on fleet decision-maker’s priorities.

“That’s why we’re committed to educating the fleet industry on the importance of ADAS calibration and investing in our technical expertise and capabilities to ensure we can match the rising demand for these services.”

For more information, visit https://globalfleetchampions.org/

How We Help Offset Your Carbon Footprint

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As concern for climate change continues to grow, it’s become evident that businesses are keen do more about their environmental footprint. However, due to lack of time and resources, businesses are at a loss at what they can do to offset their carbon footprint. In this post we will discuss the various methods for how businesses can influence their teams on reducing their impact on the environment.

The Fuel Store decided to do all the hard work for our customers by creating The Clean Air Partnership with Forest Carbon.

The membership allows companies to keep their fleets running smoothly, whilst offsetting their C02 omissions. How does the Clean Air Partnership work? Simply put, the clean air partnership works through the planting and management of trees in new woodlands.

Not only do these new green spaces reduce pollution through the absorption of Co2, but they also help us to adapt to our changing climate by helping to reduce flooding, which continues to make headlines across the globe.

New woodland also creates cleaner air and rivers, sustainable timber sources, green space for people and nature to enjoy, and employment creation. It’s a win, win for our customer’s peace of mind and our environment.

The Partnership makes it simple for our customers to give back to the environment by offsetting their carbon footprint. Doing something about this has got to be better than doing nothing. What’s more, you can even use your membership as part of your marketing, PR and CSR programmes.

Make Small Changes

Businesses can also encourage their employees to make small changes in the workplace. These include turning technology off rather than leaving it on standby; turning the office thermostat down; cutting down on unnecessary travel; recycling plastics, paper, and unused furniture; and reducing the use of paper.

Find out more about our Clean Air Partnership here. 

What Are the Benefits of Using Fuel Cards

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Businesses of all kinds are always looking for ways to reduce costs and thus save money. That has not and will never change. However, the ways in which businesses can save money continues to change. As more and more businesses need to be flexible to their clients, the need for Business fuel cards, fleet fuel cards and fleet management services has seen a significant increase in popularity over the years.

This is due to the fact that more careers and job roles now have the requirement for travel. In addition to the fact that cash is becoming less and less popular, for security and hygiene reasons. So, as more fleet managers become aware of the benefits of using fuel cards, are you aware of the many features these fuel cards offer?

This post aims to highlight the benefits of our UK fuel cards, as well as to help you identify the best fuel card for businesses. If you need any help or support, please contact our customer support team or refer to the fuel card comparison page.

Fuel cards are a simple and streamline way for businesses to pay for their fuel, which have several advantages for fleet management.

Fuel cards eliminate the need for cash or corporate credit cards when paying for fuel. A fuel card is used in the same way but comes with a weekly fixed price per litre, that is often cheaper than the varying costs between stations. This helps to spread the cost of business expenses in order to make weekly, monthly and annual cash flow more manageable.

As well as making cost savings, fuel cards also reduces administration within your business. Instead of having the stress of gathering hundreds of fuel receipts together, a fuel card will come with a single HMRC approved, VAT invoice.

Using fuel cards to manage travel expenses gives business fleets more flexibility for refuelling. This is because our fuel cards give access to a large network of fuel stations across the UK. Sometimes plans and routes change and the ability to use a fuel card across a wide network of stations gives your drivers the freedom to adjust their route in order to make the most effective use of their time on the road. Do you want to know exactly how many fuel stations accept UK fuel cards? Our fuel cards will give you access to a network of over 3,000 branded and non-branded stations across the UK.

So how do you know where a fuel card can be used? We have developed a free tool to help you find your nearest fuel station. Explore our Station Finder today. It is an incredibly useful tool for our customers, as it can be used as a sat nav when downloaded to a drivers phone. Drivers then simply add their route to the system and the nearest fuel stations on their route are highlighted.

A Fuel Card To Suit Your Business

The Fuel Store currently has two Fuel Cards available to our customers, which help to provide a fuel card that is tailored to their needs.

The Classic Card, is our credit option, where customers receive a weekly HMRC approved invoice, providing them with 14 days of credit. The Advantage Card is our no credit check fuel card option. It’s the ideal fuel card for new businesses and those with limited access to credit.

Both of our fuel cards come with your very own dedicated Account Manager who provides continued support, along with instant online access to your transactions and fuel reports with your very own online account.

Additional Services To Help Manage Your Fleet

Both of our fuel cards come with your very own dedicated Account Manager who provides continued support, along with instant online access to your transactions and fuel reports with your very own online account.

Our fuel cards both come with access to FraudGuard which helps to keep your account safe and secure, giving you peace of mind that you won’t be liable to absorb the cost of fraudulent activity should it ever happen. You will also be able to join the Clean Air Partnership which provides our customers with a way simple and measurable way to offset your carbon emissions.

Learn more and compare our Fuel Cards and fleet management services today.