car insured or not?

[teresagreen]

Im just wondering what the legal situation is with using cars on delivery as i just renewed my insurance and they went through what im covered for,apparently i needed business use (which is extra) if im using the car in works time for work,managers have seen my documents and tell me im covered,not seen any proof,there doesnt seem to be any work policy details incase of an accident or theft/damage so if im using my own car what are royal mail covering me for if anything,or am i uninsured and driving illegally?

[fishtank]

Best case scenario you are covered on a third party basis only by Royal Mail's insurance bond if your office hasn't had a delivery methods revision.

Worst case scenario no insurance at all.

[deltaforce]

Third party I wouldn't be suprised.

[rehabron]

Im just wondering what the legal situation is with using cars on delivery as i just renewed my insurance and they went through what im covered for,apparently i needed business use (which is extra) if im using the car in works time for work,managers have seen my documents and tell me im covered,not seen any proof,there doesnt seem to be any work policy details incase of an accident or theft/damage so if im using my own car what are royal mail covering me for if anything,or am i uninsured and driving illegally?

Your private motor insurance would have to be covered for business and pleasure and your road tax would have to be altered for carrying goods. I seem to think somewhere that the use of private cars on RM delivery had been abolished.

[tasam]

You would need business insurance just to travel to different offices.

You should NOT be using your own vehicle on delivery under any circumstances regardless of insurance cover.

[north london driver]

cars are banned in royal mail on delivery if you are caught with mail inside your car you are sacked
get royal mail to deliver your work to your walk and if you have a rep at your office tell to wake up.

[postman nel]

I had my car broken in it and my bags had been robbed....they got in by smashing my windows..royal mail wouldn't even contribute towards the cost of getting the windows replaced.....after that I took just one bag out with me and made them bring the rest out to me. ....so be warned. ..

[krussel]

Im just wondering what the legal situation is with using cars on delivery as i just renewed my insurance and they went through what im covered for,apparently i needed business use (which is extra) if im using the car in works time for work,managers have seen my documents and tell me im covered,not seen any proof,there doesnt seem to be any work policy details incase of an accident or theft/damage so if im using my own car what are royal mail covering me for if anything,or am i uninsured and driving illegally?

Firstly welcome the Forum

I think the others have answered this pretty well but just to clarify.

Your normal car insurance will only cover you to and back a permanent place of work. They expect your car to be parked all day. If you drive your car around during your days work (inc travel to another office) you will need business cover added on top.

IF your office is Pre Revision (not shared vans & trolleys) you can be covered by a RM bond which will only insure the mail whilst in your car to the START of your delivery. NOT if you work from your car around the delivery. If your car gets robbed whilst your on your delivery and mail taken you will most likely be dismissed for not following the guidelines of the bond.

The problems start if your unlucky enough to be involved in some kind of serious accident whist you are traveling to your delivery and someone is due compensation. Your own insurance company will argue that you have insured your car TWICE which will be at odds to your insurance agreement. They will prob use this excuse to not pay out. RM only cover the loss of mail so that leaves you uninsured and having to pay the cost yourself.

Technically you have also invalidated your own car insurance (insuring the car twice) so if its a bad accident (say you run someone down) you could find yourself being prosecuted by the police as well as being sued for not having insurance cover which of course is a legal requirement. Not a good situation.


The easy answer is not to use your car at all for delivery but use the tools that RM provide.

[OnAFlyer]

If you want to use your own car, ring your insurance and ask them what they will charge extra for business use, tell them what you'll be using it for.

It used to cost me next to nothing extra (less than £20 a year from memory), yes it's wear and tear on your own car etc but it beats sat waiting by a pouch box in the freezing cold for some bell end of a driver to turn up with your bags after he's nearly completed his duty.

If you don't want business insurance then don't use your car because RM don't cover you for anything other than third party.

[fishtank]

What you have to remember though is that after a delivery methods revision it is impossible to insure your car for work even with business insurance because for business insurance to be valid you must have explicit permission from your employer to use your vehicle and after a delivery methods revision the business doesn't just withdraw the insurance bond, it withdraws any and all permission to use your car.

This is a business wide position and cannot be overridden by an individual delivery office manager.

[dvbuk55]

Its not a question of "if you want to use your own car" under the revisions the use of private vehicles is banned, though of course if it suits RM they'll turn a blind eye til the cack hits the fan. Simply put let RM worry about how you get on site and how your mail is delivered to you and if you have to wait then wait and finish on your time, if mail is left they'll soon find a resolution to the problem.

[Postaltony]

Don't use car on delivery, you get no thanks for it and it costs you in the long run.
If you are pre revision, there is paperwork you and your manager should be completing. Your manager should also be checking for its road worthiness.
Don't forget you will only be covered t/p and you will all be paying for all work related wear and tear and fuel costs. A manager would be able to claim their own fuel costs.

Best to do your job properly and leave the onus on management to make sure you get your pouches of mail on time.
If the mail arrives late and causes you to complete late then you may have cause to either cut off or return mail as you have not caused the delay. Best to use appendix 3 of the conduct code in discussion with your manager prior to leaving the office.

Anyone got appendix 3 available to share on this thread for reference?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Anyone got appendix 3 available to share on this thread for reference?

Its in this http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... php?id=321" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[hantsman]

If you want to use your own car, ring your insurance and ask them what they will charge extra for business use, tell them what you'll be using it for.

It used to cost me next to nothing extra (less than £20 a year from memory), yes it's wear and tear on your own car etc but it beats sat waiting by a pouch box in the freezing cold for some bell end of a driver to turn up with your bags after he's nearly completed his duty.

If you don't want business insurance then don't use your car because RM don't cover you for anything other than third party.

Are you really serious? Some Postmen are their own worse enemy.

[robbertwhitton]

????? for the love of god! does this still go on? please tell me it doesn't and restore my faith in my work collegues,that don't use their cars or even managers allowing it to happen.i despair at times,do the job as it should be done with the tools provided,it gives a somewhat true picture of what exactly we are up against on deliveries etc.i would give them nothing,i love the job,and do it as it should be done,i opted out of the race to get finished early,its a no brainer.i guess we will continue to agree to disagree on this issue,such a shame we are all of a different opinion