A Guide to What a Car Requires to Pass an MOT
Travel Agency Business Plan

A Guide to What a Car Requires to Pass an MOT

- by Anna Tyler

A Guide to What a Car Requires to Pass an MOTAll cars more than three years old require a yearly MOT test to ensure the vehicle is still roadworthy. Tests should be carried out at a reliable garage such as BGS. If the vehicle fails the MOT, it needs to be repaired to conform to roadworthy standards. Many of the checks in an MOT are basic, so even if you aren’t familiar with car maintenance, it is possible to perform a pre-MOT check. This check will reduce any chance (and inconvenience) of failure.

1: The General Checks

Certain items are considered ‘general checks’ in an MOT. To improve your chance of  passing the MOT, you should do the following:

  • Ensure the windscreen washers and wipers are operative
  • Ensure the screenwash is filled
  • Check the rubber blades on the windscreen wipers are not damaged. Damage can be experienced if the wiping edge or loose strips have pieces missing. If chunks are missing, it is recommended that you replace the runner blades.
  • All seat belts need to be working correctly without any sign of cuts or fraying
  • All mountings need to be secure with straps free from any damage. The belts should also be cleaned.
  • Ensure that the inertia reel of a seat belt works properly. Test this by pulling on the strap and reviewing whether or not it locks in the reel.

2: The Tyres

To inspect the car’s tyres, you should walk around the vehicle and view all four. When checking the tyres, it is crucial to consider these elements:

  • Ensure no cuts or bulges can be seen on the sidewalls, and no objects are stuck in the tyre tread
  • The tread must measure a minimum of 1.6 mm deep. To measure the tread, you can use either a tread depth gauge or the edge of a 20
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A Look Into the Salary Amount for an HGV Driver
Travel Agency Business Plan

A Look Into the Salary Amount for an HGV Driver

- by Anna Tyler

A Look Into the Salary Amount for an HGV DriverMany of the drivers that are new to HGV driving often ask this question, and it frankly is a sound inquiry given the circumstances. Nobody wants to go into a career that will not fully compensate them for any work done or offer a fair pay. However, with the career as an HGV driver, salary concerns may not have a definitive answer, since there is not definitive pay for every HGV driver out there. Even then, there are useful guidelines and some trends as well as statutory minimums that can help you figure out which would be the suitable pay for you as a new HGV driver – with or without a category C1 license, you still need to know how much you can expect to be paid.

The Statutory Minimums

The HGV industry does have its rules and regulations that govern operations, and this includes the salaries. That is why legal wage minimums are applicable. In short, you will be covered by the National Minimum wage, the Apprenticeship Levy and the National Living Wage.

As per the National Minimum Wage, your projected minimum per hour wage rate is around:

  • £7.38 if you are 21 to 24 years of age
  • £5.90 if you are 18 to 20 years of age
  • £4.20 if you are 16 to 17 years of age (thought it is rare to find HGV drivers who are this stage)
  • £3.70 for the apprentice rate, but it is subject to a few terms.

The above may be the legally allowed minimum pay to expect, so you should expect to get a salary that is significantly higher than that. Many HGV employers understand and appreciate the need to pay their drivers more as a means of encouraging them to do better work. The National Living Wage is designed …

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How To Improve Business Health for 2011
Diet Meal Programs

How To Improve Business Health for 2011

- by Anna Tyler

People are in business to make a profit, even not-for-profit organisations need to make a surplus to survive. But, just how healthy is your business? All businesses have weaknesses as well as strengths. Now is the time for you to consider your profitability (PROFIT) issues such as:

  • People Management and Culture,
  • Resources and Risk Management,
  • Operations and Systems,
  • Finance and Focus,
  • Innovation and Ideas,
  • Technology and Timeliness.
How To Improve Business Health for 2011
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A Business Health Check can be a key part of this process; it asks some key questions about your business, highlighting areas of potential weaknesses and pointing you in the direction of relevant help and support.

Do you have enough time to do all this and keep running your business? Do you have the expertise? Well there are third party experts who can assist in your business health check and, whilst you know your business better than anyone, having more than in-house opinions and perspectives is valuable as it utilises the experience and knowledge of expert business advisors – people external to the business with a fresh perspective.

Ensure that 2011 is your healthiest year yet. To ensure you achieve your maximum profit in 2011 you need to consider the following issues and take steps to address areas where you or your business may be lacking.

People, Management and Culture

Consider the terrific people you have on board, are they performing to their full potential? Do you allow them to? Do you listen to their feedback, do you talk to them and let them know that you value them? In looking at the organisation’s operations it is also critical to understand the culture. Remember that people are flexible and require ownership of whatever they do to perform to their best abilities. Is your management structure the best for your operations? Are …

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What Should You Know About Choosing The Right Dentist
Diet Products

What Should You Know About Choosing The Right Dentist

- by Anna Tyler

It is very important to visit the dentist on a regular basis. Finding the right dental practice is also essential to good oral hygiene. You should first start off by looking into the professional background of the dental professional. They should be licensed and properly accredited. You should also be comfortable with the actual facility. The staff should be friendly and professional. And they should manage all of their appointments in a timely manner.

All dental practices are different and vary according to the dental services they provide. There are also differences in the quality of service. Some facilities are better than others so it is a good idea to look around and make sure you are selecting a good practice. The facility should be clean and well managed.

Professionals that perform dental work must go to school to receive their training. Upon all of their training and testing they are then licensed and are able to work on patients. Some of these professionals move on to form their own practice or the join an existing practice. It is good to know their credentials and their areas of expertise before scheduling an appointment.

What Should You Know About Choosing The Right Dentist
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Most of the dental practices have websites that offer information about the services they provide as well as the background information on the dentists at their facility. The websites will also usually site information on the different types of equipment that they use on specialized procedures. If all of your questions are not answered, then you should call in or visit the office for additional information. You want to go to a facility that is current on all of the technology.

When you visit the practice, the employees should be organized and ready to assist you. Every customer should be warmly greeted and given proper …

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How to Keep Your Auto Insurance Cheap
Auto Insurance

How to Keep Your Auto Insurance Cheap

- by Anna Tyler

Sometimes our expenses can be more than our income and we find ourselves scrambling to make ends meet every month. You try to find ways to cut back and save money but there are some expenses that you simply can’t cut out altogether, like auto insurance. Each state law will vary on just how much auto insurance you are required to carry but across the board, it’s illegal in all states to go without insurance. Now, it is easier than ever for a policeman to see if you have insurance or not. They don’t even have to pull you over anymore to find out if you have insurance or not. They simply have to pull behind you, run your license plate and within seconds they will know whether the car you are driving has auto insurance or not. If you are caught driving without auto insurance you are more than likely going to get a ticket and no insurance tickets usually run anywhere from $250 -$350 and if you get more than one of those tickets, they can and will suspend your license. So, now that we know we can’t go without automobile insurance lets looks at some simple tips that will help you keep your premiums as low as possible and achieve your goal of cheap auto insurance.

How to Keep Your Auto Insurance Cheap

Increase Your Deductibles

If you are looking to decrease your monthly premiums, then you can increase your deductible amount and your monthly premiums will go down. Deductible amounts are usually $250, $500, $1,000, $2,000 and $2,500. The deductible amount is the amount of money that you are responsible to pay in the event that you file a claim. For example, if your car needs repairs due to an accident, and the total repair bill is $3,000, and your deductible is …

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