A van that takes a month to sell
A client decides to dispose of an owned van. The driver has already moved to a replacement. The old van sits at a depot with a toolbox in the back, a fuel card in the door pocket and the client's livery on the sides. Someone needs to get the livery removed, the racking taken out, the service book found, a remarketing company booked, the V5C located and the insurance and tracker cancelled.
Each step is emailed to someone different. The van is still at the depot a month later, losing value, and it is on the insurance schedule.
Why disposals drag
A disposal is a checklist of small tasks, each owned by a different person or supplier, and nobody sees the whole list.
- Client approval to dispose, and on price expectations, is slow.
- Equipment, livery, racking and trackers must be removed or transferred.
- Documents such as the V5C and service history are not where they should be.
- Collection and inspection are booked with the remarketing company separately.
- Fuel cards, insurance, telematics and road charge accounts need cancelling or updating.
What slow disposals cost
Vehicles sitting idle and losing value. Insurance and tracking paid for vehicles no longer in use. Fuel cards left live. Sale proceeds that are hard to reconcile with the vehicle. And clients asking why an unused van is still on their list.
The disposal workflow we build
- A disposal is opened from the fleet record, with the client's approval requested and recorded, including any reserve or price guidance they set.
- The vehicle's disposal checklist is generated from its type and equipment: livery removal, racking, tracker, dashcam, tool storage, keys, V5C, service history.
- Each task is assigned to the right person or supplier with a link to confirm completion and add photos.
- Inspection, collection and sale are booked with your remarketing partner through their system where possible, and the condition report is attached when it arrives.
- On collection, the fuel card register, telematics, dashcam, insurance schedule and road charge accounts are updated through their own processes.
- When the sale completes, the proceeds and fees are matched to the vehicle and passed to the client's account, and the fleet record is closed.
| Task group | Examples | Confirmed by |
|---|---|---|
| Approval | Client sign-off, price guidance | Client contact |
| Preparation | Livery, racking, tracker removal | Supplier or depot, with photos |
| Documents | V5C, service history, keys | Your team |
| Loose ends | Fuel cards, insurance, road charges | Linked registers, automatically listed |
Prices are for the market
Some owned vehicles are better kept or reallocated inside the client's business, for example as a pool van at another site. The workflow asks that question first, so a vehicle that could still earn its keep is not sent to auction by default. If it is reallocated, the fleet record, fuel card and tracker mapping move with it instead of being cancelled.
We do not value vehicles or promise prices. Your remarketing partners and the market decide what a vehicle sells for, and the client decides whether to accept. The workflow makes sure the vehicle gets to sale quickly, fully prepared and with its paperwork, which is the part you can control.
Disposals that close cleanly
Picture the same van under the workflow. The client approves disposal from an email link on Monday. The livery and racking supplier gets its task the same day and uploads photos when the sides are clean. The V5C is found because the checklist asked for it on day one, not on collection day. The remarketing company collects, the fuel card is cancelled that afternoon, the insurance schedule is updated, and the sale proceeds match to the van when the remittance arrives.
Each disposal has a clear list of what is left, visible to your team and the client. Vehicles reach sale sooner and in a better state. Nothing stays live after the vehicle has gone. Proceeds are matched and passed on, and the client's list reflects reality.
Is this your disposal process?
- Owned vehicles sit waiting for disposal for weeks.
- Livery, racking and trackers are removed late or not at all.
- V5Cs and service histories are hard to find.
- Fuel cards and insurance stay live after a vehicle is sold.
- Sale proceeds are hard to reconcile with vehicles.