Tim Porter: takes over as MD of Lex Autolease

THE biggest supplier of business car leasing services in the UK – Lex Autolease – has a new managing director.

Tim Porter has been appointed managing director and takes over from Rick Francis at the end of June.

The appointment of Porter is likely to be good news for Lex Autolease’s involvement in the SME sector through its support of independent small fleet leasing companies that service the small and medium sized enterprise market.

Tim’s previous appointment was at parent company Lloyds Banking Group, where he was Commercial Director at Lloyds Bank’s small and medium sized (SME) operations in England, Scotland and Wales.

Tim brings with him 14 years’ experience at Lloyds and 20 in business in finance. A chartered banker, Tim is also an MBA graduate. Tim commented on his appointment:

“The opportunity to lead the UK’s largest fleet management provider is very exciting.  Lex Autolease has a great proposition and strong foundations as the clear market leader in this sector.  I’m looking forward to bringing my skills and experience to the company and to working alongside a talented leadership team.”   

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My Audi A3 in the car park visiting a client – if this is familiar territory for your company car drivers make sure they know about these top tips for safer driving

RUNNING a small business is demanding. We know that here at Business Car Manager towers.

There’s always plenty to do: planning, operations, client meetings, cars to test, stories to write, managing the business…

The list goes on. And I suspect that’s the same for most small businesses and SME firms.

But if you manage a small fleet of company cars – or even if your drivers use their own cars on business – you should take time to make sure that they know some of the basics of road safety.

Most of it’s commonsense. But it’s always wrong to assume. And some of your company car drivers might not have the same commonsense as you do.

So here are some great tips for safer driving. They’ve been compiled by contract hire funder Arval for the United Nations Global Road Safety Week (6-12 May).

If you do plenty of long journeys on business – as I do in my Audi A3 – or your drivers pound the miles on behalf of your firm then there’s some really good stuff in here.

The post Do you look after your drivers’ road safety enough? appeared first on Business Car Manager.

Drink-driving: tougher penalties for persistent offenders

THE government is toughening up its stance on drink-driving offenders.

New rules will be introduced from 01 June aimed at persistent offenders.

These new drink-drive rules will require those most dangerous offenders to prove they have no alcohol dependency issues before they are allowed to drive again.

In addition, drivers who refuse police blood-test treatment will be treated as high-risk offenders.

Managers of small businesses and SME small fleets should be aware of the changes to ensure compliant company car management.

At present, all high risk offenders are required to pass a medical examination before re-issue of their driving licence following disqualification.

However, drivers can start driving as soon as they have applied for their licence and before they have taken and passed the necessary medical.

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Volvo V40 R-Design: leasing penalty thanks to changes to blocking of 100% first year allowances for leasing companies

THE influential think-tank, the IPPR, wants the government to change its policy on the removal of 100% First-Year Allowances (FYA) for leased cars.

Since the Budget, an SME buying a low-emission vehicle (CO2 emissions below 95g/km) can claim 100% first year allowances.

However, leasing companies supplying low-emission company cars to small businesses and SME fleets have been blocked from doing this. As a result of this leasing penalty, the monthly lease cost of a qualifying low emission car has risen.

“The impact of the government changes are going to make low emissions cars like our Volvo D2 R-Design more expensive to lease,” Selwyn Cooper, Volvo’s corporate sales manager, told Business Car Manager back in January.

A glance at the change in lease prices of the Volvo V40 D2 R-Design suggests Selwyn was correct (see table right).

The IPPR (Institute for Public Policy Research) reckons that the block on the 100% FYA will account for a minimum 5% increase in the monthly business car lease.

For a typical small fleet of 25 sub-95g/km cars financed over a four-year period, this could add a total of £18,000 to the cost of running that small fleet, reckons the IPPR.

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Fair wear-and-tear? Ralph didn’t think so

AT Business Car Manager we run our business cars just like you – so what happens to us is relevant to any SME with a small fleet.

So here’s a tip.

Publishing director Nick Ratcliffe has just had a narrow scrape with his SEAT Exeo ST.

Editor Ralph Morton, sharper than he looks, noticed that some of the kerbs around Nick’s south London manor had been particularly thoughtless.

“If you hand a lease car back with alloys in that state you’d face a heavy end-of-lease payment.” He told Nick. “Better get them seen to.”

Nick ended up contacting Revive!, a mobile car-care company with over 100 vans on the road across the country.

In fact such was the malice of Nick’s local kerbs that Revive! took the Exeo to one of the workshops it uses for jobs that can’t be carried out at the roadside. 

Ralph reckons the final bill was far less than Nick would have picked up if he’d returned a lease car to a manufacturer or leasing company in that state.

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