Welcome to the October edition of our newsletter, included in this month’s update:
- GB Stickers No Longer Valid Abroad
- Vehicle Availability
- Days Fleet staff complete online training
- MacMillan Coffee Morning
- Congratulations Laura!
- Meet the Team – Mark Thomas, Business Development Manager
GB Stickers No Longer Valid Abroad
Following legislation changes on 28th September UK motorists driving outside of the UK must now remove the old-style GB stickers or cover them up. Instead they should display a UK sticker or have the UK identifier on their number plate if it has any of the following:
- a GB identifier with the Union flag
- a Euro symbol
- a national flag of England, Scotland or Wales
- numbers and letters only – no flag or identifier
However, anyone with a number plate that includes the UK identifier with the Union flag, also known as the Union Jack, does not need a UK sticker. If you’re driving in Spain, Cyprus or Malta, you must display a UK sticker no matter what is on your number plate but you do not need a UK sticker or number plate to drive in Ireland.
Further information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/displaying-number-plates/flags-symbols-and-identifiers
Vehicle Availability
Vehicle availability continues to be a wide reaching issue affecting both new vehicle orders and supply of short term hire vehicles. Some vehicle manufacturers continue to quote lead times of 6-9 months, with some as high as over 12 months so if you require replacements for vehicles due off fleet in 2022 or even 2023 speak to our team as soon as possible.
Our Flexi Hire team are experiencing huge demand for vehicles and continue to receive short notice bookings which in many instances cannot be fulfilled so we’ve put together a few tips:
- Book in advance and where possible give as much notice as you can especially if you know you have upcoming services or MOT’s
- New vehicle lead times are increasing so please plan ahead if you need an interim vehicle
- If you are thinking of off hiring a vehicle but know you’re likely to need it again shortly, do not off hire as you may not get it replaced
- Many partners are not accepting bookings of less than 2 days
- Collect from the rental branch wherever possible. Some availabilities are affected by staff shortages not just vehicle shortages so if delivery is not required we may be able to locate a vehicle quicker
- Arrange hire start times for later in the day rather than first thing in the morning when demand is increased
Many couriers have already blocked booked commercial vehicles in the run up to Christmas and we are already experiencing the effects of this on top of the challenges outlined above.
If you have any queries on new or short term vehicle availability please call our team on 0345 815 0019 or e-mail [email protected]
Days Fleet staff complete online training
As part of our commitment to both staff development and business compliance Days Fleet has recently introduced additional annual online training courses for all staff in the following areas: Environmental Awareness, Cyber Security Awareness, Stress Awareness & Management and Health & Safety Essentials to compliment the GDPR courses which were already in place.
Days Fleet chose provider ‘iHasco’ for their wide range of courses and how easy they are to access and complete and feedback from staff has been extremely positive.
MacMillan Coffee Morning
Days Fleet consumed some extra calories on 24th September in support of MacMillan. The annual coffee morning was held virtually as the majority of our staff continue to work from home so it was a great opportunity for colleagues to have a catch up. £274 was raised in one morning – well done all involved for supporting such a great charity.
Congratulations Laura!
Huge congratulations are in order for our Fleet Administrator, Laura and her husband Dan on the birth of their son, Charley Dean Lewis who was born on 29th September weighing 8lb 8oz. We wish Laura all the best as she enjoys her maternity leave and look forward to welcoming her back in 2022.
Meet the Team – Mark Thomas, Business Development Manager
Joined Days Fleet in June 2007
1. What is your role within Days Fleet?
I currently occupy the role of Business Development Manager, my primary function is to acquire new clients as well as account manage my existing client portfolio. I primarily deal with the public sector although I also have a number of corporate PLC and Limited company clients that I fund and provide fleet management and associated services for.
2. What do you enjoy most about your role with Days Fleet?
I love the sound of my own voice and sharing my opinions with others. This translates perfectly to giving presentations where clients are encouraged to sit and listen to me speak, holding court appears to be something I excel at and this is the aspect of my role I enjoy most. The larger the audience I have to present in front of the more comfortable I feel (strange I know).
3. What has been the most challenging part of working during the past 18 months?
Continuing in full time employment dealing with the high demands of the public sector throughout lock down with my wife also continuing to be fully employed and at the time having a 3 year old and 4 year old in the house has been the biggest challenge. The guilt associated with not being able to give my children the time and attention they required in order to continue providing a stable family environment is something I will always struggle to reflect on.
4. What would you like to achieve in 2021?
Personally I want to ensure that my children have every opportunity to do the things they have missed out on over the past 18 months. My son currently plays football for Carmarthenshire Schools Academy and Swansea City Academy and I want to ensure I support his development in every way I can. My daughter loves swimming, gymnastics and trampolining and again I want to ensure she has the opportunity to enjoy and develop in these activities. If the pandemic has taught me anything it is that “normal” can be taken away from us all very quickly and the time we have is valuable and should not be taken for granted.
5. What are you most looking forward to doing now that restrictions are easing?
Getting on with life… Day trips and holidays with the family, concerts, festivals, football matches, meals out, nights away and generally living again in an uncontained way. Lockdown has been tough for me, I have always lived in the outdoors, Surfing and loving being outside so I just want to get on with traveling, surfing and generally feeling free and unrestricted. Being contained has taken its toll.
