One of the most important of these developments is the ‘safety cage’ construction, which is now incorporated into the design specifications, of almost all cars and trucks. A reinforced inner structure surrounds the passenger area and further parts or ‘crumple zones’, at the front and rear of the vehicle, are designed to deform on impact in a controlled way. This lessens the force of the impact, and protects the vehicle occupants.

Other technical breakthroughs initiated by Mercedes-Benz include anti-lock braking systems and traction control to assist in icy conditions. Even some minor additions to modern vehicle construction can be attributed to Mercedes-Benz, such as auxiliary indicator lights visible through outside rear view mirrors.

Allied Self Drive Hire offer a quality range of cars, vans, trucks, minibuses and people carriers including brands such as Mercedes-Benz. We have aT1 Mercedes 7.5 ton Box with Tail Lift truck, perfect for house moves or relocation abroad. Reliability and top rated performance come as standard with all of our rental cars, vans and trucks etc.Allied Self Drive also provide a selection of exceptional quality Mercedes-Benz cars for hire from our Brentwood or Lakeside, Essex branches. For details of prices, terms and conditions or sound hirer advice check our websites or call us on:-

Brentwood 01277 223222 or Lakeside 01708 892699 01277 223222 01277 223222

At Allied Vehicle Hire, we partner with suppliers of quality products and services, to present our activities to mutual benefit. One of these successful, customer focused companies is Golf Division, who offer golf equipment including golf clubs, golf bags, balls, trolleys, all weather clothing and many other items for the professional or amateur golfer. Golf Division order large quantities from their suppliers so are able to provide great quality equipment at amazingly discounted prices. The friendly team at Golf Division are themselves ardent golfers and are always delighted to help or advise on any golf related quandary.

With 25 years experience within the golf equipment market, this family business is committed to customer satisfaction, and demonstrates this by offering a no questions asked 14 day money back guarantee on all orders. Golf Division have regular jaw-dropping special offers on their comprehensive website and if there is something you are after but cant see, they will do their utmost to find it at a great discount price.

For a bit  of fun, why not submit your favourite golfing joke to Golf Division on the e mail below, all published jokes are rewarded with a £5 discount voucher.

Golf Division can be contacted at :- sales@golfdivision.co.uk or Tel :- 01942 238615

Firstly the decision by the Government to abolish the 3% diesel supplement brings diesel vehicles in line with their petrol-engined equivalents. The Chancellor promised ‘a simpler tax system which will be competitive for business’. The diesel supplement, deemed unfair by many will see the complete implementation of its demise by 2016.

A five year signposting of company car tax rates enabling greater informed choice of vehicles, will also be put in place.

The Government has recognised the importance of asset finance and its role within the car hire business. This recognition has resulted in the extension of cheaper funding to lease arrangements, which ultimately benefits car hire companies.

Whatever changes the Budget may bring Allied Self Drive Hire will continue to offer highly competitive, quality vehicle hire. We maintain a top of the range selection of well maintained cars, vans, trucks, minibuses and four wheel drives all available for hire whatever your requirements. Our satisfied customers return to us time and again for a wide range of needs from day trips out, shopping or visits to family and friends, to taking a vehicle on holiday, removals or relocating abroad. Allied have branches at Brentwood and Lakeside in Essex, both offering our unique customer service package. Call Brentwood on 01277 223222, or Lakeside on 01708 892699.01277 201708 892699 23222 277 223222 01277 223222

We have also opened several business accounts from businesses based in the industrial locations of Dagenham and Dartford.

Nicolas Sarkozy, President of France announced the new law as part of the drive to crackdown on vehicle related road deaths. The breathalyser kit should be used by motorists to check their alcohol level before driving if relevant. It will be possible to purchase small, single use breathalyser balloons for one or two euros in supermarkets, petrol stations etc. According to the Automobile Club de France, drivers will also be able to buy these at border crossings so that people travelling to or through France will be complying with the law.

 Car hire companies are encouraged to advise vehicle hirers of this new requirement if France is a destination or makes up part of the journey. Allied Self Drive Hire make it their business to keep their customers informed and up to date with government legislation and requirements. Staff at both branches of Allied whether at Brentwood or Lakeside are always happy to advise on things like recent low emission zone standards [LEZ] imposed by the government to reduce carbon emissions. There is also handy information to make driving your hire car, van or minibus in Europe as hassle free as possible.

For weddings and other special occasions vehicle hire you will find on our website all the material you could wish for to ensure your day is memorable, for the right reasons!

Chief executive John Lewis stated that while things are unlikely to become easier for businesses in 2012, road transport is an essential and not a luxury. He also expressed the opinion that as long as consumers continued to search for cost effective and hassle free motoring, the vehicle hire and leasing industry will flourish.

‘Less bureaucracy and administrative costs for the fleet sector’ are predicted by Mr Lewis after the government produced the findings of its ‘red tape challenge’ and announced its intentions for a major modernisation of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. The government seems committed to implementing a simpler and fairer approach, which will lead to changes to company car tax CO2 thresholds, enabling fleets to plan 3 or 4 years in advance.

Vehicle hire companies such as Allied Self Drive Hire continue to provide a reliable, customer focused service. Committed to providing the most high performance, fuel efficient and attractive cars, vans, people carriers, minibuses, lorries and trucks. The Allied website has details of the comprehensive range of self drive hire vehicles on offer. These vehicles all conform to government guidelines and  Allied’s  own rigorous standards with regards to fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, road safety etc. The website also contains interesting and helpful information and advice with article pages on many motoring related issues such as a relocation checklist, or a guide for driving in places like Europe. Contact Allied on 01277 2232227 1277 2201277 223222 3222

Justine Greening, as transport secretary announced imminent measures to alter or remove ineffective or unhelpful ‘red tape’ including:-

1. Elimination of unnecessary paperwork storage by allowing V5 documents to be requested on demand by vehicle owners. This will replace the automatic issuing of these documents by the DVLA. The cost savings for car hire fleets will prove substantial and the move could possibly lead to making the V5 an electronic document.
2. The paper counterpart to the driving licence is to be abolished by 2015. Introduction by the DVLA of real-time electronic access to driver records will benefit car hire companies, driver training businesses and organisations who need to refer to information held on the counterpart.
3. The introduction of continuous insurance enforcement will remove the need for proof of insurance when taxing a vehicle. This will be cost effective as well as more convenient for vehicle hire companies.
4. Limiting the need for Certificates of Professional Competence [CPC] is also on the list. The Department of Transport gave farmers travelling to and from markets with stock as an example of where the CPC might not be needed. This is despite the fact that the vehicle could be laden and the farmer tired after working in the fields. The BVRLA suggest there is a strong argument for commercial vehicle rental delivery drivers to be exempted as they are transporting empty vehicles to and from branches and customers.

Allied Self Drive Hire specialise in the supply of quality, well maintained vehicles to suit our clients needs. We ensure a smooth and hassle free hire experience and are delighted to help and advise on all aspects of car, van, truck, minibus and people carrier hire. Our Allied website contains lots of information about related subjects such as eco-friendly innovations like AdBlu,in addition to guidelines on things like Spanish Relocation and driving in Europe.

Allied Self Drive are pleased to announce the opening of a new branch in Lakeside Retail Park, Thurrock, Essex. This is great news for vehicle hire customers in areas such as Thurrock, Lakeside, Grays, Tilbury, Dagenham, Dartford, Hornchurch, Essex & Kent. Allied Self Drive Hire, Lakeside is ideally located and convenient for the huge Lakeside shopping complex and easily accessible to the many industrial estates in Dagenham.

Allied Self Drive Hire, Lakeside is situated beside Essex Autogroup, on West Thurrock Way, extending coverage of our customer focused service to the South Essex and Kent region. We are a rapidly expanding business providing top quality car, van, truck, minibus, people carrier self drive hire at extremely competitive prices. Most of our vehicles are only a few months old, which means that they conform to all recent government requirements with regards measures to reduce carbon emissions. An example of this is the implementation of the London Low Emission Zone [LEZ] which is explained on our website. The Allied Lakeside website has some interesting information about innovations such as AdBlu or selective catalytic reduction. We also have advice on driving in Europe, relocation to Spain and other topics of interest to anybody considering hiring a vehicle.

For friendly advice and information call our Lakeside office on :- 01708 892699.

Allied Self Drive Hire

Our new branch will be located beside the Essex Aotogroup site on the Lakeside Retail Park.

Allied – Growing Vehicle Hire Through The Recession

Says Allied Self Drive Hire managing director Paul Morrish ‘Our vehicle hire business has been growing consistently over recent years. The move to our current site in Brentwood enabled us to grow much faster and we expect that the expansion into the additional facilities at Lakeside will enable us to accelerate that growth.’

We have not been held back by the recession, in fact part of our growth has been due to our customers adjusting to the tighter economic conditions. If people do not need a van for every day of the week, they now consider hiring on the specific days they do need a hire van or truck. Hire is a strong consideration when a company vehicle is nearing the end of its life. Rather than the expense and ongoing liability, companies are downsizing, perhaps buying a small general run around, then hiring the transit when it’s actually required.

Reaching Vehicle Hire Customers in South Essex & Kent

The new Lakeside hire branch will enable us to serve a new additional hire customer base in South Essex locations such as Thurrock, Grays, Purfleet, Dagenham, Hornchurch and South Ockendon. Also, the Lakeside hire branch will be in easy reach of hirers in Kent – Dartford, Swanley, Northfleet, Gravesend, Gillingham, Chatham, Swanscombe and Southfleet.

Our new website for the Lakeside branch will be available from 21 December.

Image by francisco.j.gonzalez

The long awaited Autolib pay-as-you-drive electric car rental scheme has now been launched for a 12 month pilot period. Building on the success of the Velib bicycle sharing service introduced in Paris and experiencing a positive response in Europe and the US, the Autolib project aims to clear traffic clogged city streets. Entrepreneur Vincent Bollore supplied the small blue four seater cars which can be hired for up to half an hour for a charge of 5 Euros with a subsequent cost of 4 Euros per further half hour. Membership of the scheme is required with an annual payment of 144 Euros, 15 Euros per week or 10 Euros per day. Bollore stated that the batteries used in these vehicles are less prone to overheating than the lithium-ion commonly used within the car manufacturing industry. They are also believed to remain stable during charging or discharging.

The electric rental cars exclusively designed by Pininfarina, the Italian manufacturers who created Ferraris and Maseratis, take about four hours to recharge and have a range of roughly 250km. Autolib general manager Morald Chibout said “We want to persuade people to shift from the concept of owning a car to that of using a car.” With insurance and parking costs continuing to rise along with the cost of living that shouldn’t be too difficult, although the slightly controversial scheme is experiencing a few health and safety teething troubles, partly due to its lack of engine noise.

The 66 electric four seater cars could play a major role in pollution reduction and are hoped to expand to 3,000 vehicles by the end of 2012. The project is being considered in the UK as an aid to London’s Low Emission Zone Scheme [LEZ].

Self Drive Hire Cars are also a convenient and economical way of getting from A to B whether at home or while driving abroad. Allied Self Drive Hire offer a great selection of cars, trucks, vans, 4×4′s, minibuses and lorries which are all professionally maintained to the highest standard, and fully compliant with government requirements regarding carbon emissions. For more details or a quote call our Brentwood office on (01277) 223222