FLEETS sending vehicles to auction are ignoring basic security measures by leaving company logos on their vehicles and losing an average of £500 per van at the sales as a result.

The Fleet Auction Group is calling on fleets, particularly those in the smaller and medium-sized bracket, to remove all logos before remarketing the vehicles at auction to ensure that criminals cannot use the vehicles for fraudulent activities.

Jim Allsop, light commercial vehicle manager at the Fleet Auction Group, said: 'The security issues involved in having vehicles around with a previous operator's logo still on, such as potential fraud and equipping bogus service personnel, are very real. These are still not being considered by a large number of fleet managers.'

The value of the van can be significantly improved by removing the original company logo prior to auction. He added: 'For a small investment, the resale value of a vehicle can be significantly improved. As an example, we were getting about £1,400 for a model direct from a fleet.

'We proposed a £40 de-logo and buff service and were immediately achieving about £1,900 for the same specification vehicle. The demand is there for vehicles that look clean and are ready for immediate resale.'