Figures from the AA show that petrol sales in the first six months of 2011 were 1.7bn litres less than in the same period three years ago. They believe the drop in sales is a direct result of record prices at the pumps.

One thing we have noticed here at DQC is an increase in car drivers ‘hypermiling’ by driving closely behind lorries, in an attempt to save fuel. This is obviously a very dangerous practice, but it seems to be becoming more popular.

We want to know how this is affecting the people whose businesses rely on the roads. Are couriers, haulage companies and pallet delivery companies noticing less traffic on the road? Perhaps you have seen an increase in cars driving closely behind you?

The government has proposed a public consultation to increase the speed limit on the country’s motorways to 80mph, due to advances in vehicle safety and technology. However, there are no plans to increase the limit for lorries above 7.5 tonnes, which will remain at 60mph.

There are of course pros and cons with this proposal; with many people divided in their opinion. An increase, even of just 10mph, is likely to significantly reduce MPG costing people much more, and with another 4p fuel duty rise coming soon it could prove detrimental to many businesses. Although the prospect of being able to deliver quicker, and therefore more, may counteract this especially for pallet delivery and other low margin delivery services.

Will a 10mph increase mean much for couriers who use the motorway on a daily basis?

Are you a haulier, what’s your opinion on the idea that other traffic could be moving a third faster than you?

                                                                       

Photo courtesy of Highways Agency

As part of the Out Of The Jam: Reducing congestion on our roads report MPs looked at ways to ease bottlenecks and delays on the UK’s roads – with some suggestions that if nothing is done congestion will cost the UK economy £24m per year by 2025.

Suggestions included more demanding driving tests, stricter adherence to the Highway Code and better co-ordination between councils, highways agencies and maintenance companies.

Committee chair Louise Ellman said; “Improving the way we manage road space so that the network runs more smoothly is vital to the prosperity of the nation. Pursuing this challenge should form a key plank of central government transport policy.”

Do you think these measures would help you in your day to day job? Or are there other things you feel would be more effective? Let us know by commenting below.

“Charities are finding they can get greater value online for books and antique collectables than selling through shops,” said Wendy Mitchell, head of policy and affairs at the Charity Retail Association – who conducted the survey.

Couriers can take advantage of this trend, especially as we head towards the Christmas period, by signing up as a transport provider on sites like DeliveryQuoteCompare.com.  There are no subscription fees, no membership fees and no bid fees. All you pay is a small success fee if your bid is accepted.

We’ve recently made it much easier for courier services to find the right kind of jobs too. With our new search function the job you’re looking for is just a couple of clicks away.

With a number of furniture companies going into administration and eBay becoming a popular shopping destination for anything and everything, bargains can easily be found; but the cost soon increases when it comes to furniture delivery.

Obviously there will be a cost involved in moving furniture, due to its bulkiness; but using a site like deliveryquotecompare.com can significantly lower it.  By listing the item you need delivering, you receive quotes from a number of furniture delivery companies, allowing you the freedom and choice to chose the one which best suits you – this maybe the cheapest, but it could be the company which has the best reviews or can deliver to you at the most appropriate time.

Pallets are an easy way to cheaply transport large items. The way many pallet networks operate in the UK means a vehicle will take a number of pallets at once from one location to a central hub, where another vehicle will pick up the pallets to be delivered in their area. This means the cost of the trip is shared between many customers, ensuring the cost can remain low. Of course this adds to its green credentials too!

There is much less of an opportunity for items to be damaged when being delivered on a pallet, this is because they are only handled by fork lift trucks – so there is never any chance your fragile goods will be thrown from one man to another!

Small businesses that sell large items can utilise pallet delivery companies for customers who buy numerous items and are unable to transport them themselves. As the vehicles always travel to the central hub and then deliver to their designated area the delivery is relatively quick. Even if your pallet won’t fill a HGV it can be taken to the depot with others, regardless of where their destination maybe.

If you have a large or heavy item, which a courier or man and van would struggle to lift, then using a pallet service is an ideal option. From something as simple as a fridge freezer, to an engine you may have sold on eBay, sending items on pallets is a cost effective and secure form of transportation.

Fragile items are also ideal for pallet delivery. Due to the very nature of pallets they can only be lifted with special equipment and as such are moved as little as possible, this will significantly reduce the risk of your wares being damaged in transit.

Parcel delivery is cheap, really cheap in fact, which makes it a great alternative to the Royal Mail and perfect for eBay sellers. Here’s how it work’s – your parcel will be collected from your specified location, put into the vehicle, taken to the company’s central hub and sorted. Then it will get loaded onto another van and taken to its destination. Sounds simple enough? Well, as you can imagine the logistics of it are quite significant, but there are things you can do to make it easier for them:

1. Label your parcel clearly

The quicker they can establish where your parcel needs to go the easier it is, if your label is clear it’s less likely to be put to one side to ‘decipher later’, which could mean you’re parcel is delayed.

2. Use a postcode

A postcode is the easiest way to work out which part of the country your parcel is destined for. It’s also a lot easier to read than street and town names!

3. Wrap it well

Throughout its journey your item maybe handled by up to 12 different people, so it’s important to package your item VERY well. Invest in some bubble wrap and if it’s in a box make sure it’s a sturdy one and if it’s wrapped make sure it’s wrapped a few times!

4. Insure it

Most parcel delivery companies will be insured, but often it may only cost a few pounds extra to more comprehensive cover. This will make sure that if your item happens to get lost or damaged you won’t be left out of pocket.

What’s important to bear in mind is that parcel delivery is a fast, low cost way of transporting things; it’s not suitable for everything – your Grandmas’ glass vase being just one example. Anything that is valuable, fragile or expensive may be better off with a courier. This service will cost you more but your item will be handled by just the one person and is likely to be delivered door to door, with no depots in the middle, meaning there is much less chance of damage. It’s still very important to consider insurance and make sure the item is packed as well as possible though.

Here are some top tips from www.deliveryquotecompare.com to make sure you get it right:

Individually pack the items to be palletised:

Make sure everything which will be loaded onto the pallet is sensibly packed, even if there’s only one item. If it’s an awkward size or shape, pop it in a box with plenty of padding – if items on the pallet aren’t square it will be impossible to stack.

Put the larger, heavier items at the bottom:

It sounds straightforward but it’s easy to just load a pallet with items as they come to you. If it’s a mixed consignment wait until all the items are ready to be palletised and carefully plan how they will be stacked. Making sure the weightiest and biggest are at the bottom will guarantee the pallet is sturdy.

Wrap the pallet well:

There is an art to shrink/stretch wrapping your pallet. (And with all the roundabouts on UK roads it’s an important part of the process!) Make sure you wrap the pallet numerous times in different directions. For a comprehensive how-to check out this article on How to Shrink Wrap a Pallet.

If you are concerned that you’re items won’t be wrapped properly or you simply don’t have time to do it, your pallet delivery company should be able to do it for you for an additional charge.

With many institutions in the country planning to charge up to £9000 per year, the opportunities for students to not only gain a degree at a more reasonable cost, but to explore other countries are appealing.

Leaving home for the first time is traumatic enough, but worrying about how you’ll get your worldly possessions to your chosen destination needn’t be an issue. Using a transport comparison website like DeliveryQuoteCompare.com can save all the hassle of finding international couriers or an international removals company.

The process is simple and it can all be done online. Simply enter the details of what you need moving, sit back and wait for the quotes to come in. It works like a reverse eBay, but you can pick whichever quote suits you the best. You may even find a company that will pack it all up for you too!