Rivus stays on course to become ‘strongest player in the market’

In March 2021, Rivus chief executive officer David Myers (left) revealed ambitious plans to Fleet News for the company to become the ‘’strongest player in the market’.

A year on, and the company has increased its fleet offering by integrating Pullman Fleet Solutions into the business.

Pullman was one of the largest providers of commercial heavy goods vehicle (HGV ) maintenance and fleet management services in the UK for brands such as Tesco, Morrisons and Wilko and was bought by Rivus parent company Aurelius from Wincanton in November 2020.

Aurelius had acquired Rivus Fleet Solutions, formerly BT Fleet Solutions, in 2019. At the end of February this year the decision was taken to drop the Fleet Solutions part of its name and rebrand as simply Rivus.

The enlarged business has 1,300 employees, manages around 200,000 service bookings each year and operates from 80 sites nationwide through its light commercial vehicle (LCV) and HGV combined garage network. It has more than 500 Rivus-approved garage partners and a UK-wide team of mobile technicians.

Fleet composition

Most of its managed fleet is LCVs and HGVs (80,000 and 40,000 units respectively). It also has around 10,000 cars, but commercial fleets are the target customer.

BT Group accounts for around 32,000 vehicles. Rivus also handles around 7,000 vehicle modifications every year.

Last summer, Rivus was named Fleet Supplier of the Year at the Fleet News Awards with its treatment of customers during the pandemic particularly impressing judges.

While many businesses were forced to close garages and furlough staff when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, this wasn’t an option for Rivus as many of its customers are essential service and emergency fleets, so it was vital that vehicles were kept operational.

The company even went as far to help other fleets whose operations had been affected by their own suppliers not working at full capacity.

Electric Vehicles as a Service

To help guide fleets through the electrification process it has launched Electric Vehicles as a Service (EVaaS). Again, many of the EVs used by Rivus customers operate in essential services, so it is imperative downtime is kept to a minimum.

To address this, Rivus technicians have undergone EV training programmes to Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) standards. Further investment includes providing technicians with new electric vehicle tooling and a new charging infrastructure means vehicles are ready to be used as soon as they leave a garage.

Last year, electric van manufacturer Arrival announced Rivus as one of four service network partners in Europe, giving Rivus access to repair and maintenance documentation, in person and online training, predictive and automated diagnostics, and the distribution of spare parts.

Acquisitions are likely to fuel future company growth, but Myers stresses the company wants to offer the broadest range of service to fleets, rather than simply have the largest number of vehicles on its books.

The interview

Fleet News: How does the integration of Pullman and Rivus benefit your fleet customers?

David Myers: It minimises touchpoints, which takes away complexity and makes it easier for customers to engage with us. For us, it means we can manage everything on one IT platform. From a compliance point of view, it means we’ve got one process, we have one set of standards around ISO certifications and one set of data protocols.

It makes a life a lot easier from providing consistent service across the country, providing one way of working on one platform. Aurelius has a team that project manages the integration so we can focus on the day job. It’s not about restructuring the business, it’s about a better way of working.

FN: What are the company’s growth aspirations?

DM: We are still acquisitive and will remain so. The aim is to enhance our offering so we’ll look for opportunities around software, an app, a customer interface or whatever, that we think will provide a better experience for the customer.

We look at niche parts of the solution we believe we’ll need in the future. 

We also look at other companies from an organic point of view. For example, there may be a small network of garages that we might want to buy and acquire the customer base.

We’d also look at leasing options. We’re not a leasing company, but we have panels of funders. There’s a variety of different things that would complement the service we provide. We’re always looking at how we become an end-to-end provider for our customers, so they really don’t need to go anywhere else.

FN: All part of your aim to become the ‘strongest player in the market’?

DM: We don’t need to be the biggest in everything and we don’t want to have the highest number of vehicles. It’s about providing the broadest range of services that a customer might need, but offering them in an integrated manner. We’ve been looking at the customer journey of a fleet and there are an awful lot of stages in the lifecycle of a vehicle, from acquiring it to its end of life.

And in the middle, there’s the emergence of electric vehicles, which means we have become a consultancy.

FN: What challenges do fleets face around electric vehicles?

DM: There are myriad challenges around TCO (total cost of ownership) modelling as well as choosing the right vehicle, and when it can be delivered. There are questions around how long a vehicle should be leased for, what happens with battery life and fleets have concerns around payload and testing etc. Some customers will never be able to be fully EV until, for example, there’s an electric vehicle that can tow certain weights.

We’ve launched our own EV Academies as we feel we can lead the market with thought leadership, and we can help customers on their journey.

It’s very easy for companies to say ‘we want to be fully EV by 2025’ but there are issues around how they achieve it, especially with constraints around vehicle builds and schedules.

FN: How has the semi-conductor shortage impacted on your business?

DM: From a Rivus point of view, it helps us because we’re servicing older vehicles.

We’re in the envious position that, as fleets get older, more is being spent on them to keep them on the road. 

For customers, it’s about helping them make informed decisions because the vehicles they want may not be available.

FN: What other challenges do fleets face today?

DM: In no order, consistency of servicing and experience, the transition to EVs, cost control, because an ageing fleet is driving higher costs, compliance, and having the right insights to make informed decisions.

■ At the time of the interview, Myers was unaware that Rivus had again won Fleet Supplier of the Year in the 2022 Fleet News Awards.

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Judges' comments

Rivus has delivered an excellent level of service while still changing its processes post-BT.

It displayed an excellent response to a number of fleet challenges over the past year, not least Covid, and ensured essential fleets stayed operational.

An admirable focus on people and training reveals the level of faith and commitment it has in its staff, while a comprehensive range of services enable it to
offer real solutions in many of the most important areas of fleet management.

The entry was supported by strong customer testimonials.