PROTECTING your business should be top of your Christmas list!
“Holidays are coming, Holidays are coming!” Recognise the famous festive ad?
For many there is nothing quite like the legendary Coca-Cola TV advertisement to really know that it’s Christmas again.
The instantly recognisable fleet of red lorries bring with them much anticipation for the holidays as they make their way across the country, lighting up towns and villages on their route. Of course, they also bring much excitement to the homes of those watching the ad on their televisions.
Christmas is a very exciting and enjoyable time of year for most, but for businesses it can also be extremely busy and a highly pressurised period, especially for companies involved in the coordination and distribution of hundreds, maybe even thousands of products and orders.
The ‘Black Friday’ craze will have brought a huge influx of online orders, which means a number of very busy weeks of deliveries to follow. The winter months can make for treacherous road conditions across much of the country and businesses - and their employees - must consider what they need to do to make sure they stay safe.
Whether driving through a busy city or sparsely populated roads, there are heightened risks to be aware of in winter. You never know what may happen so it’s important to be prepared for anything.
Good practice for businesses to undertake before and during the winter include proper vehicle maintenance, particularly checking tyres, as winter roads can provide very little traction. Ensure that drivers have the right gear and equipment in the event that they are faced with severe winter conditions, including a winter driving kit. It’s always advised to know the road conditions and for drivers to plan the safest route, where possible.
Whether it is your fault or not, things can – and will – go wrong when driving in dangerous winter conditions. The key is to respond quickly and smartly when they happen.
For businesses with a number of vehicles under their books a fleet insurance policy is a must. Managing your business’ fleet of vehicles – worth anywhere from a few thousand to millions of pounds - is important all year round, but winter can be a busier time of year, and also a more dangerous season.
Insurers usually define a fleet as anywhere from five to thousands of vehicles. The advantage of a motor fleet policy stem from its flexibility and wide breadth of cover. While standard motor insurance can only cover certain vehicles under certain policies, motor fleet can cover an assortment of vehicles with a variety of uses under one policy. This flexibility reduces the need for fleet oversight and thus lowers overall administrative costs.
If you’re a haulage business responsible for the delivery of other companies’ goods it’s perhaps all the more important to ensure that you have the correct cover in place.
Hauliers’ insurance policies protect you from any loss or damage to goods that you are transporting. Without a hauliers’ policy you could be liable for loss or damage, which can translate to substantial compensation claims that may stop you in your tracks.
Christmas should be a time for reflection and celebration of the success achieved in the year gone by. Having the correct cover in place for your business helps clear the road of any obstacles and ensures your own peace of mind.
Merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year from the team at Autoline.
:: John Kielty is commercial insurance director at Autoline Insurance Group (www.autoline. co.uk).
