Jason Francis, managing director of Jaama, gives his predictions for 2010.

“2010 is expected to trigger a small amount of growth in the UK economy, but that is no signal for fleet decision-makers to take their eye off the cost management ball.

“Indeed, an online survey among some of our major customer indicates that cost management - and more specifically managing rising fuel costs - remains the number one issue on their agendas, just as it has been for the last few years.

“With the January 1 increase in VAT back to 17.5% and an April 1 fuel duty increase of 1p a litre above inflation scheduled, coupled with a general upward trend in pump prices, petrol and diesel bills are set to rise rapidly in the early weeks and months of 2010.

“From our research it is clear that fleet operators are aiming to cut costs by working even closer with suppliers to identify new ways of working.

“This includes introducing an array of online products with, for example, Marie Jarrold, car fleet controller at BCA, Europe’s largest vehicle auction company, aiming to improve operational processes by increasing her focus on exception management reporting.

“Meanwhile, award-winning Justin Patterson, who heads the fleet department team the 6,300-strong vehicle operation of MITIE, believes that in addition to fuel cost management the focus will be on using web-enabled software as a central data hub for third party suppliers - management information reports automatically distributed to outlying centres that will identify and help control costs by exception.

“Environmental pressures will also continue to shape behaviour and policy. Clearly, if fuel bills are to be managed more effectively that will require a concerted focus on journey management with overall fleet mileage cut. However, it is also likely to mean an increasingly rapid ‘greening’ of company fleets.

“With more lower emission cars from a wide range of vehicle manufacturers hitting showrooms throughout 2010 and the recent Pre-Budget Report outlining the Government’s strategy to tighten company car tax thresholds over the next three financial years, we expect all organisations and drivers to travel further along the ‘green’ road to cut costs.

“Such a move will, of course, also deliver fuel as well as corporate and driver tax savings as the lower a car’s emissions the better its MPG.

“Finally, as in recent years, our customers are telling us that risk management remains a core focus. They plan to devolve more online tasks to drivers with companies rolling out our Electronic Driver Services module which enables mileage, journey expenses, company and own-use vehicle information to be captured enabling improved fuel management reporting and a reduction in administration.

“Ronnie Hutton, group transport manager at The Co-operative Group, is, for example, managing 1,200 more drivers following a series of acquisitions by the organisation in 2009 and is increasingly relying on web solutions to pro-actively manage them in terms of risk management as well as overall policy compliance to ensure budget controls are met.

“But, while controlling and reducing fleet costs are clearly the top priority in 2010, that strategy, as Marie Jarrold, says, must not be to the detriment of fleet operating efficiency or duty of care compliance.

“It promises to be another fascinating fleet year as we wait with interest to see what the Conservative Party’s transport policy will be if they win the 2010 general election.”