Save up to 20% on Europcar Van Hire for bookings made by 30th September.
THIS OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED.
The latest edition of our newsletter is out and if you want to save up to 20% on Europcar van hire then click here.
Europcar’s current offer will give you up to 20% off van hire for bookings made by the 30th September 2012 for hires before 16th December 2012. T&Cs apply, see Europcar’s website for details.
You can find details of all current van hire discount offers on our voucher codes page.
Hertz has opened a new van supersite in Basingstoke, bring the total number of supersites around the UK to 20. The van supersites are designed to serve the needs of fleet market — a growing proportion of which is choosing long-term van rental rather than ownership or traditional leasing.
A full range of vans including Luton box vehicles, tippers, crew cabs and customised vehicles will be available at the Basingstoke supersite. Neil Cunningham, General Manager for the UK, unveiled the official, new Van Supersite at Exhibition Court, Armstrong Road in an opening ceremony today.
As with all Hertz Van Supersites, the Basingstoke Supersite will support both bespoke and standard van rental requirements. Customers will have access to commercial vehicle expertise, service and maintenance support, and efficient repairs of both warranty and non-warranty vehicles. In addition, Hertz Van Supersites provide innovative fleet management services that enable fleet managers to streamline vehicle usage, cut down pool fleet numbers, and effectively reduce administration costs.
“Van rental offers an unbeatable alternative to investing in vehicle ownership. It reduces the financial commitment companies have to put into everything from breakdown cover and insurance to getting a fleet of vehicles taxed and ready for the road,” said Michel Taride, President of Hertz International.
“The trend for van fleet rentals instead of purchases is increasing, and this shift in behaviour has created a requirement for our van business to expand. We are excited to be investing and expanding in the local area and also increasing the number of people we employee in Basingstoke,” he added.
The opening of the Basingstoke Van Supersite is part of Hertz’s 2012 plan to supersize its Van Supersite network in the UK, which now features 20 locations strategically placed throughout the country. The Supersites have been specifically built to meet the demands of fleet managers who operate large commercial fleets. Located to enable quick and easy access to motorways, the network enables a rapid response to the needs of fleet managers across a large operating area.
In order to customize vehicles for specific business purposes, Hertz Van Supersites provide body conversions, welfare vehicles or specialist vehicle wrapping. Customers can also benefit from a comprehensive list of services that covers everything from exterior wrap/livery, interior racking and shelving and tow bars, to beacons, cages, speed limiters, flood lights, hand wash units (hot and cold) and reversing cameras/sensors.
Across the UK, Hertz operates a 5,000 strong van fleet with vehicles of up to 3.5 tonnes. Vans available at the Basingstoke location include:
In addition to its network of Van Supersites, Hertz operates an extensive network of standard van rental branches around the UK — you can find a full list here.
Bishops Stortford-based van hire company Hilton Rental has added a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter luton van to its rental fleet.
vanrental.co.uk advertiser Hilton Rental has just added its first Mercedes Sprinter to its fleet. The van in question is a 313CDi luton conversion on a long wheelbase. The comprehensive specification includes a Ratcliff Palfinger 500kg tail lift and is proving popular with private customers who are moving house, according to Adam Sydes, Hilton’s vehicle rental manager.
The latest Sprinters benefit from Euro 5 engines and the current 313CDi is 15% — or 4.5mpg — more efficient than the previous model.
Hilton Rental is based in Bishops Stortford and also serves Stansted Airport; its comprehensive range of cars and vans meets most rental requirements.
Remember: If you would like to promote your van or minibus hire company on vanrental.co.uk, take a look at our advertising options.
Thrifty has added a new van and minibus hire branch in London Richmond to its UK network.
The branch is located at 110-116 Upper Richmond Road West, London, SW14 8DT and you can find full details of it (including a map) on our branch page.
Prices from this new branch are now included in our van hire price comparison system too, so you can find the cheapest van and minibus hire prices in Richmond.
With the Olympics about to start, now seems like a pretty good time to open a car and van hire branch in the London area — and the new branch offers a full range of cars, vans and minibuses.
The new branch takes Thrifty’s UK total to 87 — you can find full details of all of them on our Thrifty locations page.
Bicycle deliveries for Europcar, new dealers for Isuzu Truck and and old Mitsubishi favourite returns.
Mitsubishi L200 Trojan Double Cab
The Mitsubishi L200 is probably the car that defines the modern pick-up trend. Hugely popular, its double cab was one of the first to offer car-like levels of comfort with genuine off-road, load-carrying ability.
Mitsubishi has capitalised on the popularity of this model with lifestyle buyers by introducing a steady stream of special editions, such as the recent Barbarian Black. Its now brought back another popular edition, the L200 Trojan Double Cab.
The Trojan comes loaded with accessories and the new model is far more powerful than the old one, delivering 30% more power (up from 136bhp to 175bhp) and 27% more torque (up from 314Nm to 400Nm). In addition to this, the 12MY Trojan is also Euro 5 compliant.
Traffic in London is bad enough at the best of times, but it’s about to get much worse, as the London Olympics and Paralympics bring thousands of extra visitors and vehicles to the cities streets.
In addition, the Olympic Route Network means that ordinary road users, like delivery drivers and private motorists, won’t even be able to use half the roads in London (click here for a handy Olympic Route Network delivery planner).
If all of this wasn’t enough, demand for car and van rental is likely to soar during the Olympic period, with many of these customers needing to have vehicles delivered and collected from their premises. This means that rental companies are faced with the prospect of having their delivery drivers stuck in traffic and unable to move around as quickly as usual.
Europcar has taken a novel approach to solving this problem and is equipping its delivery drivers with electric bikes to help them get around as fast as possible. The bikes are folding models that fit into the boot of a car, enabling drivers to combine the best of both worlds and get around London as fast as possible — without adding to traffic congestion themselves.
The Isuzu Truck range
Isuzu Truck has added The Cordwallis Group to its dealer roster, providing the brand with four new dealers covering the Thames Valley.
The long-established, family-owned Cordwallis Group opened its doors as an Isuzu Truck dealer in Reading and Heathrow on Monday 25th June, whilst the remaining 2 branches at Maidenhead and Eynsham near Oxford will become full dealers 1 month later on Monday 23rd July.
As Keith Child, marketing director at Isuzu Truck explains:
“The Thames Valley region represents a significant geographical area for Isuzu Truck and we are extremely pleased to welcome The Cordwallis Group into the Isuzu Truck dealer network. The group has a vast experience of commercial vehicles from lights to heavy weights through four established locations.
Europcar is set to expand its rental van fleet following double-digit growth in demand for hire vans in the first half of 2012.
The car and van hire company is to place particular emphasis on supporting the flexible rental requirements of the logistics and courier sectors, which experience increasingly variable and strong demand due to the growth of the online home shopping sector — internet shopping, to you and me.
According to Europcar UK MD Ken McCall:
“We’ve seen a huge surge in demand for vans over recent months and we are responding by increasing the size and quality of our van fleet with the latest models to ensure our range includes the latest in fuel efficiency technology”
“As the trend for online shopping continues logistics companies have reported a spike in demand for delivery services. But it’s hard for businesses like this to instantly increase their own fleet capacity. That’s where short-term rental fits in and Europcar has been working hard to help these companies capitalise on the current market opportunities, by complementing their core fleet at short notice.”
The new additions to Europcar’s van fleet will include the compact Vauxhall Combo – winner Best New Van at the 2012 Fleet World Honours – and the Peugeot Partner. The company also plans to increase the number of larger models, such as the Southampton-built Ford Transit and the Luton-made Vauxhall Vivaro.
Nearly all of the new vehicles feature Euro 5 technology, the most fuel efficient engine on the market. Low-emission vans such as the Nissan NV200, with emissions under 150g/km, help companies comply with government legislation on CO2 emissions, as well as enabling them to save on tax and congestion charges – such as the low emission zone in London – on high polluting vehicles.
Speaking of the growing importance of environmental issues, McCall say, “We have seen more companies request low CO2 and more eco-friendly vans.”
All Europcar vans are on average 9 months old, and with the new vans that have been introduced, Europcar’s light commercial fleet is one of the youngest in the country. The vans are also fully maintained to manufacturer standards, ensuring they run efficiently so that Europcar’s corporate customers can access vehicles on which they can rely.
Don’t forget that you can compare van hire prices from Europcar and other leading companies using our unique van hire price comparison system — click here to get started.
I’m very pleased to welcome Hilton Rental of Bishops Stortford to vanrental.co.uk. Hilton Rental is based on Raynham Road in Bishops Stortford and is only a few miles from Stansted Airport, making it very convenient for airport car, minibus and van hire.
Hilton Rental offers the following services to van hire customers:
All vans are cleaned before each hire and regularly maintained and Hilton Rental can hire vans to drivers aged 21 upwards.
Customers can choose to use Hilton’s inclusive insurance and breakdown cover or provide their own cover.
Hilton Rental also offers a wide range of cars, minibuses and even campervans for hire.
To find out more, get a quote or make a booking, contact Hilton Rental direct:
If you’d like to promote your van or minibus hire company on vanrental.co.uk, click here to see our advertising options.
Hertz UK is to become the first van hire company in the UK to promote the Freight Transport Association‘s award-winning Van Excellence Code (VEC).
Some of the UK’s largest van operators, including Sainsbury’s, DHL, City Link and Carillion, have already signed up to the scheme and Hertz’s participation will focus on its Owner Driver Van Hire Scheme customers. This scheme serves the needs of large numbers of self-employed van drivers who provide distribution services on a sub-contract basis for the express parcels industry. The SME sector accounts for most of the three million vans on the road in the UK and is where Hertz can play a key role in helping to promote the new VEC standard.
The VEC is aimed at establishing a comprehensive and realistic code of conduct for van operators which will benefit businesses, the environment and all road users. It sets standards in three primary areas: vehicle maintenance, driver competence and behaviour, and environmental impact. Following its tradition for leading innovation and excellence, Hertz will be the first vehicle rental company to endorse the VEC and promote the benefits of Van Excellence accreditation amongst its van hire customers.
Mark Cartwright, Head of Vans and LCV’s at FTA, commented:
“It is a pleasure to welcome Hertz into our association. The success of any initiative on such a large scale requires the support of all the biggest players in the industry. With a reputation for exceptional services and a large customer base, we have no doubt that our relationship with Hertz will be a great asset in our efforts to set the standard for future working practices in the van sector.”
Michel Taride, President of Hertz International, said:
“As one of the world’s leading provider of transport solutions, we are committed to the development of all sectors of the transport industry and have always implemented rigorous standards in all our operations. As vans are one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK and also critical to the small and medium business economies, it is extremely crucial to have high standards such as the voluntary Van Excellence Code. Combining our strengths with the expertise, knowledge and services of the FTA, we are confident of the success of Van Excellence and are proud to support the FTA in this initiative.”
To find out more about the Van Excellence Code, visit www.vanexcellence.co.uk
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has issued a warning about the disruption the Olympic Games will cause to its members operating in London and the need for tolerance and common sense from London’s enforcement authorities and the general public.
Speaking to the House of Commons Transport Committee, Natalie Chapman, FTA’s Head of Policy for London gave evidence to the Olympics Inquiry alongside representatives of London Councils, the Federation of Wholesale Distributors and the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association.
The inquiry was looking at the transport challenges posed by the Olympic and Paralympic Games, including the impact of Games Lanes and the Olympic Route Network on road transport in London. Also providing evidence were Justine Greening Secretary of State for Transport & Peter Hendy, Commissioner of Transport for London.
Chapman said:
“We are pleased to assist the Transport Committee in its investigation into the robustness of transport arrangements for the Games. Without efficient logistics, there will be no Games. And without an appreciation of the likely disruption, Londoners and London’s business community will find it difficult to keep functioning.
It is therefore important that everyone interested in making this summer a success is working together to ensure an efficient supply chain is maintained. There is a tendency not to notice freight until it doesn’t work, so the challenges of the next few months give the industry the ideal opportunity to showcase how effective and efficient it really is.”
Natalie Chapman told the inquiry that the industry was largely prepared and ready for the challenge that the Games will pose. However, FTA members are concerned how those reliant on logistics are preparing and adapting for the challenges of the next few months.
She also raised concerns regarding the additional costs that the industry will face in servicing customers during the Games. Many companies have had to hire in additional vehicles and drivers for the summer even if these do not foresee an increase in trade as productivity will slump due to a reduction in road speeds and an increase in congestion.
Chapman continued:
“The vast array of additional restrictions that will be implemented for the Olympics and Paralympics such as the Olympic Route Network, Games Lanes, banned turns and loading bans are likely to cause confusion even to drivers how know London’s streets like the back of their hand. We hope that the boroughs and Transport for London will take a sensible approach to enforcement and will focus their efforts on compliance and assisting drivers.
We are of course delighted that the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State for Transport listened to FTA’s concerns on this issue and did not approve the increase in PCN levels to £200 as requested by London Councils and the Olympic Delivery Authority. However, if £130 fines are issued like confetti, we will as an industry, have a very big bill to pick up at the end of the summer.
Here at vanrental.co.uk we have been warning of potential disruption and shortage of hire vans in London and the south east for some time – let’s hope that companies’ are now prepared and that with the support of the London authorities, everything will work well.
Volkswagen is considering bringing the 4×4 Crafter 4Motion to the UK, according to this article in What Van?
Alex Smith, who recently took over as head of VW’s UK commercial vehicle operations, told the magazine that while the Crafter would never approach the 20% market share of the Transporter and Caddy, they were looking at options for boosting Crafter sales in the UK.
One possible option was the introduction of the 4×4 Crafter, which would complement VW’s smaller Caddy 4Motion and Transporter 4Motion, both of which are already available in the UK.
Smith is also interested in boosting the market for conversions, especially dropside and tipper models.
However, he ruled out a major expansion of VW’s daily van rental sales just to boost numbers, telling the magazine that they were focused on “profitable, sustainable growth”.