Should you provide any of your staff – directors included - with a company car? Good question. Why? What's the need?

According to some research I came across from B2 Group, only 40% of those SMEs they surveyed provided company cars (B2 Business Voice business to business tracking study).

When money is tight and you need a new vehicle for your business fleet, it is always worthwhile considering contract hire. There are five reasons why it may make sense for your business, but don’t forget to shop around to get the best deal.

Remember that contract hire is like hiring a vehicle for a longer fixed period, at an agreed annual mileage, and you can also build all routine servicing and maintenance in as well.

Having survived two recessions and read about many more, writes David Rawlings of www.businesscarfinanceltd.co.uk, I know that this industry is one of the most cyclical. Typically we all become depressive as sales slow and costs increase, then we toast our amazing foresight when residual values improve and interest rates fall.

So instead of ignoring or joining in with the doom mongers use the current financial situation to your advantage and enjoy the benefits of good fleet management.

Do you remember last winter? There was business misery thanks to the deep snow that brought much of UK business to a halt as Britain struggled to get to work, or slid crunchingly into another vehicle, writes Ralph Morton from Business Car Manager.

The Vehicle Tracking Survey 2010 was conducted among 150 fleet influencers and decision-makers within the fleet management industry. The respondents were made up of professionals who are either responsible for, or have an influence on, car, van, commercial vehicle or mixed fleet operations. Fleet sizes varied from those with 10 vehicles to up some with over 1,000, in a range of industry sectors. A total of 63% of those companies surveyed had less than 100 vehicles.

Key Findings in the report include: