The National FairFuel Day on March 7^th, supported by The Fuelcard Company, RHA and FTA, is the motorist’s unique opportunity to personally fight for lower fuel duty. On this day we will have the chance to convince the Government to get the UK economy motoring and for the Treasury at last, to hopefully see sense. Any change in Government taxation on petrol and diesel will be only be made by influencing the Government itself and that means going right to the heart of Parliament. To lobby MPs!

In this time of austerity it is vital that MPs (many who are disconnected from the impact of high fuel prices) recognise the horrendous experiences of businesses and the public because of the current crippling fuel duty level. The more motorists, white van drivers, hauliers, truckers, taxi drivers and all those that need their wheels to exist yet alone work that come and mass lobby Parliament, the more likely MPs will put pressure on the Treasury to act. All MPs have to recognise that a significant cut in fuel duty will help the economy and not affect HMRC tax revenues. The consequences are clear, a decent cut in fuel duty will stimulate the economy. It will mean consumers spending more, further VAT revenue obtained, increased corporation tax and PAYE too.

The only way to make this happen is by putting pressure on the MPs, who in turn will make representations to the Treasury. We need as many people as possible to be outside Parliament on March 7th after PMQs. For details please go to www.fairfueluk.com .

Last year, with your help, the FairFuelUK campaign 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 at record levels!   We know from the reaction of Ministers and MPs that the FairFuelUK 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 our 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, the National FairFuel Day’s mass lobby of Parliament during the afternoon of Wednesday March 7^th is your chance to make a real difference.  As a citizen, you 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 it is called a ‘mass lobby’

If you can’t attend on the day please sign up to support the campaign at www.fairfueluk.com  and tell everyone you know to sign up too. Get on Twitter www.twitter.com/fairfueluk  and Facebook www.facebook.com/fairfueluk to tell friends and colleagues to be in Westminster on March 7th.  Buy a FairFuelUK “cut tax now” sticker to display in your vehicle from the FairFuelUK website www.fairfueluk.com which helps to support the campaign’s activities. Write directly to your MP by letter or email as to how a cut in fuel duty will help your job, business and in your personal life too. How such a cut will contribute so much more to the UK Economy than continual high levels of taxation. To find out who your local MP is and their email address go to http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/

The backers of FairFuelUK have commissioned a highly recognised and respected independent Economist and Business Research Company to ask the question will the UK Economy benefit from a significant cut in fuel duty. Findings from this study will be announced prior to the Budget.

So, please come and lobby your MP on National FairFuel Day. Simply register you are coming by completing the form on the www.fairfueluk.com website. We look forward to seeing you there. Let’s make the Government recognise we need that fuel duty cut now before it’s too late!

Peter Carroll, Quentin Willson, Howard Cox. FairFuelUK

The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland is reporting that Northern Ireland is facing higher fuel prices than any other region in the United Kingdom, and that worse is yet to come.

Although we’re all painfully aware of how high fuel prices are affecting both our industry and everyday motorists in general, the prices in Northern Ireland are still shocking. Prices there are reaching an average of 134.6p per litre for unleaded petrol and 142.8p per litre for diesel and if prices are still rising, as the report has suggested, it could be catastrophic for Northern Ireland’s transport industry.

The Consumer Council is rightly supporting calls for an EU investigation into the price of fuel and is pressuring major supermarkets to end regional pricing, which can add up to 6p per litre to the price of fuel in some areas. In January, petrol was on average 5p cheaper south of the border in Ireland while diesel was a huge 15p cheaper. Just pennies, but we know what a difference they can make!

The AA’s latest fuel price report revealed that in the UK as a whole, the average petrol price has been above 130p per litre since March 2011 and diesel above 140p per litre since July 2011, with average forecourt prices in January reaching 133.5p per litre and diesel 141.9p per litre. Can we continue to afford to do our jobs at these prices?

The Consumer Council has written to the chancellor to ask what the Government can do to help consumers affected by high fuel prices. The Fuelcard Company is also supporting FairFuelUK in its campaign to lower fuel prices. To show your support, visit FairFuelUK’s website and sign the petition to fight for a fairer deal for motorists, UK businesses and the road freight industry.

The Fuelcard Company is proud to have been announced as a headline sponsor of FairFuelUK and act for more than 200,000 people and thousands of businesses in the campaign for fairer fuel prices.

As world events cause the steepest rise in wholesale diesel and petrol prices the UK has ever seen and more and more motorists are forced out of their vehicles. The Fuelcard Company has joined other major sponsors, the Road Haulage Association, RAC and Freight Transport Association to champion fairer fuel prices for all UK drivers.

In the run-up to the Spring Budget on 21 March, FairFuelUK will keep pressure on the Government to cut fuel duty further to stimulate the economy and introduce reforms to ensure taxation of petrol and diesel is kept fair. In 2012, the campaign will continue its success of 2011 with the first ever National FairFuel Day scheduled for Wednesday 7^th March. FairFuelUK supporters are invited to attend a mass lobby at Westminster which will allow them to exercise their rights to enter Parliament and ask to see their local MP to support cutting fuel duty.

According to the AA, motorists are now facing a further 2p a litre fuel price hike at the pumps which could take diesel prices to a new record high. And there may be more to come as petrol retailers warn that threats to international supply could push prices up further.

Motorists are already changing their driving behaviour in a big way as a direct result of soaring fuel prices. A poll by insurance broker Hastings Direct has seen nearly half of drivers reduce their weekly journeys by at least 25 miles, and one in five drivers would give up their cars altogether if prices rise above £2 a litre.

On 25 January, FairFuelUK and its ‘Big Four’ took the fuel price fight to the House of Commons and the first meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Fair Fuel for Motorists and Hauliers. The group confirmed campaign aims for 2012: to cut fuel duty to stimulate the economy and reform the way in which fuel duty is charged.

The campaign has already led to Chancellor George Osborne scrapping the planned 3p fuel duty rise this month and a reduction in August’s planned fuel duty rise from 5p to 3p – to date the FairFuelUK campaign has saved motorists 9p per litre in duty (nearly 11p per litre including VAT). However, FairFuelUK has warned more must be done to protect families and businesses struggling with the high cost of petrol and diesel.

Jakes de Kock, Sales and Marketing Director at The Fuelcard Company, said: “I am very pleased to renew our commitment to supporting the FairFuelUK campaign. The plea for a fairer tax system for UK companies reliant on fuel to keep their businesses moving, is a worthy and necessary cause and impacts every consumer in the UK. The price of fuel affects UK competitiveness and raises the price of everything we buy in the shops.”

As FairFuelUK counts down to the March Budget, now is the time to make a difference and stop this fuel tax gravy train before it derails.

To support the FairFuelUK campaign and sign its petition to cut fuel duty, visit: www.fairfueluk.com

Worrying news for the fuel industry came this week in the shape of Petroplus, Europe’s largest independent oil refiner, announcing it is to file for insolvency.

As shares in Petroplus were suspended, so too were fuel supplies by the Coryton refinery in Essex, which is owned by the beleaguered oil giant. Unfortunately, it also supplies around 20 percent of London and the south east’s petrol. The question that springs to our mind is: what will the fall-out be, regionally and nationally, of one of the UK’s largest refineries stopping its taps?

Despite assurances from analysts and spokespeople that this shortfall will be made up for by other refineries in the south, this news will no doubt shake the industry and individual businesses already fighting to keep their heads above water.

And it’s not just national fuel supplies on the line. Coryton refinery directly employs about 500 staff and 350 contractors. Hundreds more Petroplus jobs elsewhere in the country are also at risk.

All in all, it’s been a bleak week for the oil industry. The EU has just approved sanctions to boycott fuel from Iran. And in the north of England, petrol supplies to Jet stations are under threat after fuel truck workers began a seven-day strike over pay and pensions  outside the ConocoPhillips-owned Humber oil refinery.

Peter Carroll of campaign group FairFuelUK, warned that petrol and diesel prices at the pumps could both pass £1.50 per litre “within days”.

“This could be the tipping point,” he told the Express. “The toxic combination of the situation with Iran, the Wincanton drivers’ strike and the Coryton refinery closure will be very dangerous.”

He also warned of further problems brought about by the “temptation to panic buy and profiteering”.

We don’t know about you, but all this has left us with a dreadful sinking feeling that the darkest days for the transport industry may indeed lie ahead…

To sign the national petition for fairer fuel prices, visit www.fairfueluk.com

This campaign has the backing of The Fuelcard Company, the Road Haulage Association, RAC and the Freight Transport Association.

You’ll remember we wrote about fuel fraud last October after watching the BBC Panorama documentary ‘The Great British Fuel Robbery’ – we hope you were paying attention. Bit of an update for you: the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee in London is currently investigating fuel fraud and yesterday Environment Minister Alex Attwood announced there has been a significant decline in prosecutions, convictions and penalties against those involved in fuel smuggling.

This sounds promising, perhaps Panorama has scared the petrol pilferers off??? But alas, no, this  is unlikely to be as a result of less activity on the police’s part who have said ’targeting major crime gangs has become a priority’ meaning the actions of fuel fraudsters may have got lost in the mix. It seems as if people are often too afraid to report these crimes, and there’s even been talk of the understanding policeman on the beat perhaps turning a blind eye while pump prices continue to soar?

Panorama suggested businesses are being forced to question their morality and weigh up keeping their business afloat against the implications of sourcing cheap, and mostly illegal, fuel.

Although using illegal fuel, such as rebated heavy oil (red diesel) or fuel bought from questionable garages, can seem like an attractive way to immediately lower fuel expense, especially as diesel prices continue to spiral, drivers mustn’t forget the legal ramifications for those caught using illicit fuel. Red dye diesel is for use only by farmers and building contractors for off-road vehicles.  It’s against the law to run a vehicle on red diesel if it’s registered to be on the road and the owners of cars found to be running on red diesel can be given a £500 on-the-spot fine and are likely to have the vehicle seized by customs officers.

Panorama reported that some crafty fuel thieves are filtering the red dye out of rebated heavy oil and re-selling back to drivers – this filtered fuel can seriously damage a vehicle’s engine and can still be identified as contraband by HMRC officials.

Not really worth it is it? Especially if you consider that using a fuel card can give you significant savings on fuel. We can help you control your fuel costs and, when using a fixed-price fuel card, you could save on average 2 to 3 pence on diesel pump prices.

So instead of giving in to the swindlers, you can ensure you reclaim 100 percent of VAT on business fuel expenses with a fuel card on www.fuelcards.co.uk. Sounds like a plan!

One news story which certainly caught our eye this week focused on the effects poor eyesight and health among motorists can have on road safety.

We applaud Meg Munn MP, who was recognised with the Brake and Direct Line’s Road Safety Parliamentarian of the Month Award for her campaign to introduce regular eye tests for drivers, as reported by Fleet News on Friday.

The Fuelcard Company wholeheartedly supports Munn’s efforts to raise awareness of an issue which can be all too easy for drivers to underestimate. The consequences of sweeping the problem under the carpet however, can be tragic. Munn started her campaign after Fiona Buckley, the niece of a constituent, was run over and killed while crossing the road in 2008 by a driver with defective eyesight.

As part of the MP’s campaign, the Government is being urged to change current legislation, with driver eye tests carried out via scientific methods by qualified practitioners instead of the current limited number-plate test. The initiative also calls for drivers to be re-tested at least every ten years and aims to raise awareness among the motorists themselves – to drive home the importance of getting their eyes checked at least every two years.

This should act as a major wake-up call for motorists not to underestimate the effects health issues can have on their driving awareness, behaviour and safety, as well as for fleet managers who have a duty of care to their employees and other road users. Regular health checks for conditions such as high or low blood pressure can alert drivers to problems that could potentially affect their ability to drive safely.

Earlier this month, we also reported on the effects heavy colds and flu can have on drivers’ reaction times. Read on tofind out how illness can be akin to drinking four double whiskies!

It is widely known how dangerous it is to drive under the influence of drink or drugs, so why should health problems, which in some cases bring the same cognitive side-effects, be viewed any differently?

It’s been reported today that motorists with a heavy cold or flu suffer slower reaction speeds and increased erratic driving – similar to the habits of a drink-driver – that could put themselves and other drivers at risk.

We’re genuinely surprised! We all know that whatever your job and especially while on the road, working with a cold can be a real nightmare but we didn’t think that it could really put people’s lives at risk.

The research, carried out by Young Marmalade in association with Halfords, was conducted using a telematics box which records drivers’ speed, braking and cornering habits and found that drivers with a heavy cold are likely to also suffer a 50 percent drop in their driving ability. That’s equivalent to drinking four double whiskies! Scary? We think so!

Although there aren’t any official stats regarding accidents caused by sneezes, coughs and stray tissues, the insurance industry suspects that motorists are responsible for thousands of accidents while under the weather.

Co-Founder of Young Marmalade, Nigel Lacy, said that the study represents a warning for motorists, adding that “a heavy cold can impair a driver’s mood, concentration and judgement”, while a spokesman for the Central Motorway Police Group said that motorists could even be prosecuted for getting behind the wheel with a heavy cold.

While we’re not suggesting you should stay in and put your feet up at the first sign of sniffles, this advice is definitely worth heeding in order to keep yourself and others safe. Better safe than sorry…

While most of the country takes a well-earned break over the Christmas period, those of us working in the fleet and transport sectors will be hard at work keeping the country moving through snow, ice… and terrible Christmas cracker jokes.

We’ve seen some real crackers over this holiday season and, as we know how hard many of you will continue to be working through the festive season, we thought we’d share the best of the worst with you:

• What do you call a blind reindeer? No eye deer!
• What do you call a man with brown paper trousers? Russell
• What do you call a row of men waiting for a haircut? A barber-queue!
• What’s furry and minty? A Polo bear
• What do you call a short-sighted dinosaur? A do-you-think-he-saurus!
• Why would you invite a mushroom to a dinner party? Because he’s a fungi to be with
• Why was Santa’s little helper feeling a little bit down? He had low elf-esteem
• Why should husbands make the tea for their wives? Because the Bible says he brews
• What is Santa’s favourite pizza? Deep-pan, crisp and even
• What kind of paper likes music? Wrapping paper

A few celebs have also had a crack (okay, okay – that’s the last one) at some alternative jokes. What do you think?

• Who is the bane of Santa’s life? The Elf and Safety Officer (Catherine Tate)
• A French Cat, Un Deux Trois, and an English cat, One Two Three, went for a swimming race round a lake. Who won? One Two Three, because Un Deux Trois Quatre Cinque (Jo Brand)
• What’s the slogan for the Eskimo lottery? You’ve got to be Inuit to win it! (Alastair McGowan)
• A woman walks into a bar and asks for a double entendre… so the barman gives her one (Meera Syal)
• How many ears has Captain Kirk got? Three: the left ear, the right ear and the final front ear (Ben Miller)
• Why has Noddy got a hat with a bell on it? Because he’s a t*** (Ricky Gervais)

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!

So, this week ministers promised to cut the red-tape to allow councils more freedom to erect road signs where they are needed. This is great news, although long overdue. The Government has finally realised that the people who know the road network best are the local council workers who drive on it every day.

Under the new rules, councils will no longer need to gain the approval of Whitehall for new signs that they require on a regular basis, including those to warn lorry drivers of narrow roads.

Transport Minister, Norman Baker, said: “I am bringing an end to the ludicrous situation where councils have to come to central government for permission to put up signs they need to use.”

Anyone who’s driven an HGV in an unfamiliar town or city will breathe a sigh of relief as they will no doubt have experienced that unsettling feeling when the satellite navigation system tells you to ‘turn left’ down a narrow street. If you take the plunge and make the turn, there’s always the risk that the street will narrow further or worse turn into a dirt track. But then if you reject the advice of the technology system and go it alone there’s a chance you’ll get lost and find yourself in an even tighter corner. What a conundrum!

If councils have the power to erect road signs alerting fleet drivers to unsuitable roads the world will be a much better, less stressed-out place. And residents living on said dirt tracks will no longer have the misery of seeing enormous vehicles hurtling past their houses or have to direct confused drivers back to the main road.

The change in procedure is expected to take place from 30^th January 2012. What a great Christmas present for lorry drivers everywhere!

With the industry’s news agenda still full of doom and gloom predicting the rising cost of insurance and ever-increasing fuel prices, we’ve been looking into simple ways that fleets can save money on a daily basis.

Telematics systems might seem like a glorified black box, but they’re a great way to monitor drivers’ habits in order to save you money. We reported last week that four in five fleet drivers admit to breaking speed limits – while cruising at 80mph on the motorway might not seem like you’re really going hell for leather, it burns up to 20 percent more fuel than driving at 70mph. With fuel prices still steadily increasing, can you really afford to let your drivers burn this extra fuel? Not to mention potential fines they might receive for breaking the speed limit!

It’s also becoming more common for insurers to investigate the possibility of offering juicy ‘pay how you drive’ discounts to fleets using telematic systems and forward-facing cameras. Considering news that premiums are on the up, driver profiling through telematics can be a great way of keeping a lid on your insurance costs.

We believe it’s better to be made aware of drivers’ bad habits behind the wheel before they become a costly problem, as you’ll be able to rectify these with training and safety reminders. If one of your drivers is caught breaking the law on the road, they’ll be at risk of receiving penalty points. It may be tempting to transfer these onto another driver’s clean slate; don’t do it! It’s illegal and can land everyone involved with an even heftier fine.

We’re a supporter of the FairFuelUK campaign (alongside the Road Haulage Association and Freight Transport Association) which is championing a call to Government urging the Chancellor to lower fuel tax for commercial drivers. While we’re waiting for the Chancellor to wake up and smell the petrol fumes, we’d advise using telematics to help save the pennies everywhere you can.

We hope you’ll find some of these tips helpful in keeping an eye on the pennies – as we all know too well, every little helps in our industry now more than ever.