There is nothing sexy or exciting about insurance. It is, in every sense, a necessary evil. Within the general car user market, obtaining vehicle insurance has never been easier, but getting the right cover at the right price is still a little more difficult in the commercial vehicle sector. Moves are afoot, however, to make the task of obtaining commercial vehicle insurance a little more straightforward.

One example is Commercial Vehicle Direct (CVD), an insurance broker for businesses insuring one to three vans, which has created a unified commercial vehicle policy document that delivers enhanced, standardised cover. Although the company selects from a panel of more than 20 different insurers to deliver the best policy for each individual enquiry, it has now persuaded those insurance companies to provide cover based on its own standard policy. CVD believes that it is the first time a broker has been able to deliver the benefits of a standardised policy in the commercial vehicle market.

The benefits for customers taking comprehensive cover include legal expenses and breakdown cover, 30-day foreign travel, and 500 [pounds sterling] audio cover included in the policy. The cover applies to new and renewing customers.

Graham Powell, MD of Commercial Vehicle Direct, says: "It has been a massive undertaking to get more than 20 insurers to agree to a single set of words to describe their policy cover but the benefits to the customer make the effort well worthwhile. We have attempted to take the best of the best of the cover offered and tried to extend it across all policies we issue, especially taking customers' expectations into account. For the vast majority of CVD's 75,000 existing customers the scope of their cover is improved."

The broker created a task force to create the new unified motor policy and it has taken more than a year to gain approval from everyone concerned. The company has also created a new 24/7 claims line to enable all aspects of an insurance claim to be handled with a single call, including injury procedures and replacement vehicle cover.

In another initiative, HSBC Insurance has reduced the cost of premiums on vehicles fitted with Protek-dor in-cab security products. The scheme, offered by Blagrove Insurance, is underwritten by HSBC Insurance.