The document provides information and tips for business owners on effectively managing vehicle fleets. It discusses the importance of vehicles for customer service delivery and minimizing downtime. Various vehicle acquisition options like purchase, lease, and flexible vehicle hire are compared, with flexible hire having no depreciation costs or mileage penalties. Customer case studies show how flexible vehicle hire from Northgate helped businesses reduce costs and improve cash flow. The document encourages business owners to contact Northgate to see how flexible vehicle hire could benefit their operations.

1. Business Owners’ Guide
to operating vans
Get the most from your vans and make the
most of your business…
No contract. No commitment. No risk.
northgatevehiclehire.co.uk

2. When it comes to
delivering great
customer service,
how important are
your vehicles...?
Your vehicles are MISSION CRITICAL.
If they aren’t running 100% of the time
with 0% disruption you will:
• Lose income from lost working hours
• Lose opportunities from new contracts
you can’t fulfil without vehicles
• Lose customers as you fail to deliver
the required level of service
Did you know…?
“66% of consumers say they will leave
companies that make getting
customer service hard or high effort”
The Economist Group – 2013

3. The truth about your vehicles
The average age of vans or light commercial vehicles (LCV) in the
UK is over 7 years* and therefore for the majority, the support from
manufacturer warranties will have long since expired.
Consider the associated costs of breakdowns, servicing,
MOTs, repairs, replacement vehicles, parts, Road Fund
Licence, finance interest, mileage penalties and the often
forgotten cost of depreciation.
Then factor in lost income for every day a vehicle has been off
the road. The impact on your bottom line is significant.
You can only get maximum return from your vehicles if you
have 100% utilisation.
Did you know…?
“The cost of vehicle downtime is estimated at £727 per day
in terms of lost revenue”
Autoglass – source Fleet World 2013
*Source: British Car Auctions 2013: The average age of LCVs on UK roads is 7.4 years

4. Top tips on getting the most from your vans
Ensure you can react to new business quickly
You’ve just struck gold and won another contract. Manpower is not a problem, neither is committing to those deadlines. The
problem lies with your fleet. Don’t let this hold you back – find a supplier that can get reliable modern vehicles to you quickly
wherever you may be.
Keep your business on the road
Your vans are the lifeblood of your business and when they’re off the road it can hit your wallet hard. Keep your vans on the
road by minimising downtime and ensuring you always have replacement vans quickly available for planned and unplanned
service, maintenance and repair.
The right van acquisition decisions can actually help your business’ financial health
Purchase? Contract hire? Lease? It’s difficult to know which is best for your business. Consider the terms and length of
commitment as well as funding. Different funding and acquisition methods have a variety of financial benefits.
Maintenance - keep your vans well maintained
Not only will this help with fuel costs but a reliable and safe vehicle will give you peace of mind that you and your drivers are
safe on the road. Regular servicing and maintenance will also minimise the chance of breakdown.
Fuel prices may be dropping but there’s always room for improvement!
Check your tyre pressures, don’t carry excess weight and consider those driving techniques! The younger your fleet – the
more efficient they are likely to be. So consider upgrading to save on fuel and reduce the likelihood of downtime.

5. But what’s best for you and your business?
Going for growth
Don’t let risk be a barrier to growth. Looking to expand but worried about risk? Don’t miss out on new business simply because you
don’t have enough vans. Consider your vehicle acquisition carefully and choose a solution that will minimise this risk and ensure
you have enough vans to do the job.
Unsure of the future?
Sure we could all do with a crystal ball at times. But when that’s just not possible it means business investment can become risky.
If you need vans now but are not sure what the future holds, committing large sums of money into expanding your fleet could be
the wrong way to go. What happens when business slows down? Don’t get lumbered paying for vehicles that aren’t being used.
Tightening your belt
In times of austerity, cost control becomes critical. If this is a familiar scenario – are you effectively controlling your fleet costs? This
is where 100% utilisation of your fleet becomes important. Are you committing a lot of money to a fleet of vans sat doing nothing?
What’s more, planning your fleet expenditure also becomes critical – the more you can avoid unexpected cost the better.
Consider vehicle acquisition
Your plans remain the same, no rocking the boat thank you very much. You’ve taken risks in the past and you’ve been burnt. If this
sounds like you then the likelihood is you’ve always purchased your vehicles and this is not necessarily wrong, but consider the
money lost through depreciation. Not to mention other associated costs of purchase such as MOTs, breakdowns, repairs, finance,
road fund licence, the list goes on. There are other acquisition methods that deliver greater benefits.
Winning new business
Your vans are a mobile advert - and first impressions count. In a recent survey we found that 44% of the general public believed a
better kept vehicle meant a better quality of work. Are your vans working hard for your brand image? Do your vans portray a
professional and customer focused business? Consider updating your fleet to ensure your brand image is enhanced.

6. Purchase New Costs
Depreciation (18.96 pence per mile) £4,740*
Service, maintenance & repair (3.53 pence per mile) £882.50*
Road Fund Licence £285
UK National Breakdown Cover £149
Spot Hires (twice per annum) £100
Finance Deposit (10% - spread over 3yrs for annual comparison) £700
Interest (5% per annum on balance) £945
Total annual costs £7801.50
Total cost per week (52 weeks per annum) £150.02
Contract Hire Costs
Service, maintenance & repair (3.69 pence per mile) £882
Road Fund Licence £95
UK National Breakdown Cover £149
Spot Hires (twice per annum) £100
Contract Hire Advance Payments (deposit of 3 x monthly rentals) £779.79
Annual Contract Hire Payments £3,119.16
Total annual costs £5,124.95
Total cost per week (52 weeks per annum) £98.55
Northgate’s Flexible Vehicle Hire Costs
Depreciation – Our problem, not yours £0
Service, maintenance & repair – Fully inclusive regardless of
mileage
£0
Road Fund Licence – Fully inclusive every year £0
UK National Breakdown Cover – Fully inclusive national cover £0
Spot Hires – Fully inclusive replacement vehicle during
breakdowns/repair
£0
Finance Deposit – Not required (subject to credit approval) £0
Finance Interest – No finance or borrowing against your business £0
Total weekly cost Call us now!
Are you spending too much on your vehicles?
Take this example vehicle; the Ford Transit Custom 290 2.2TD Low Roof. How do purchase and contract hire
compare against flexible vehicle hire across a 3 year period based on 25,000 miles per annum? Let’s take a look….
With Northgate you get all of this in one simple and
transparent weekly rate, plus…
The option to add, remove and change vehicles at any time without
penalty, no mileage penalties and dedicated account management.
If you would like to understand what your current vehicle costs are
and how they measure up against flexible vehicle hire from
Northgate call us today on 0844 558 663.
*Figures included are from an independent source and are correct as of 16 March 2015. Costs included in the tables are based on 12 months
with the total annual costs broken down in to a ‘per week’ cost as a comparison to Northgate Vehicle Hire. Northgate costs are exclusive of VAT.

7. How we’ve helped...
The Northgate difference
At Northgate, we don’t just rent vans and cars. We keep thousands of businesses on the road and making money, 24 hours a day, seven
days a week by providing a totally flexible and risk free way of acquiring and operating vehicles. By doing this, our customers can
concentrate on what is really important to them; delivering great customer service and growing their business.
Here are just some examples of how we have helped businesses grow.
A.L. King Roofing
60% reduction in vehicle downtime
Business: Roofing
Employees: 20
Fleet Size: 6
United Worldwide Logistics
Saved £10,000 per annum on SMR
Business: Transport
Employees: 21
Fleet Size: 30
High Access Maintenance
Improved cash flow by £75,000
Business: Building Maintenance
Employees: 25
Fleet Size: 16
Douglas Communications
Saved over £15,000 annually
on SMR with a 100% reduction
in downtime
Business: Telecommunications
Employees: 25 (plus 25 sub-contractors)
Fleet Size: 46
Quicksilver Transport
Saved over £7,500 in year one
on downtime and SMR costs
Business: Removals and Deliveries
Employees: 5 plus 2 working partners
Fleet Size: 5
Firemark Ltd
Capital expenditure saved on vehicle
acquisition alone has mounted to
£75,000
Business: Fire Safety
Employees:40-50
Fleet Size: 26
Want to find out more? Visit: northgatevehiclehire.co.uk/business-hire/customer-testimonials

8. Wondering if flexible vehicle hire
could benefit your business?
Call us today on 0844 5588 663
or email info@northgatevehiclehire.co.uk
For more tips and advice on getting the most from your van fleet
visit our blog northgatevehiclehire.co.uk/blog or follow us on
LinkedIn linkedin.com/company/northgate-vehicle-hire
facebook.com/northgatevehiclehire
twitter.com/northgatevhire
linkedin.com/company/northgate-vehicle-hire
No contract. No commitment. No risk.
northgatevehiclehire.co.uk