Over the past 20 years I have probably driven more than a million business miles.

Like most high-mileage drivers, I have also had my share of accidents, breakdowns and penalty points.

Luckily, my employers have picked up the cost of my cars, repairs, fuel and wasted time.

I don’t know how much it has cost them, but it certainly won’t have been cheap!

Recently, while sitting on the M25 in yet another jam, I wondered how many of my journeys could have been avoided?

Could creative thinking have gained me a year of anything but driving? Or, if you have 20 employees making regular business journeys, what hard cash and man hours could be recouped from wasted road time? What degree of creativity can you add to my top 10?

Responsibility

Any line manager with employees that drive on business is responsible for both their safety and use of time.

Thinking of ideas for appraisals can be difficult so why not try “reduce your team’s overall business mileage by 15%”; this may encourage them to review mileage reports.

Get driver buy-in

Giving anyone more administration (especially if it’s seen as “big brother”) is never well received.

Luckily, amazing things can happen if they’re sold in the right way; after all, you’re reducing waste, looking after driver safety and helping the environment.

Make drivers’ lives easier by using web-based reporting, allow regular journeys to be saved or calculate distances for them.

Hold a mileage reduction workshop or clinic. It’s amazing how creative people can be when they understand the reasons, so encourage and reward good ideas

Record all business journeys

This doesn’t just make sense, but it helps keep HMRC off your back. Do you know where your employees have spent the company’s money, and whether all journeys were business journeys?

Could you:

  • prove to HMRC that claimed business mileage wasn’t private mileage?
  • Prove where a driver was if asked for records by the police?
  • Calculate your company’s carbon output or measure its improvement?

Use postcode checking

How far is Llandudno to Dover via Leicester? As one in five drivers admits to being creative when completing expenses, how do you check mileages and what tolerance for error do you allow?

Re-charge journeys to clients

Even if they are not invoiced, how many companies book mileage costs or
man hours against their customers, suppliers or projects?

Mileage capture software programmes will provide this analysis and may make you look at some contracts in a new light.

Support car sharing

In large companies regular travel between locations is often required. Can these journeys be publicised on the internet? Could car park spaces be reserved for colleagues who car-share?

Show the carbon output

Most employees appreciate the need to be green and feel good about doing their bit for the environment.

Publicise mileage reduction initiatives and give regular updates on how things are improving.

Use of technology

Skype, video-conferencing and con-ference calls may seem less personal than a meeting in person but can be great time and travel savers.

I have spoken on video presentations to more than 100 people at once – they all got the same messages at their desks instead of driving round the country.

Reducing your customers’ travel is as important as your own.

Give incentives

A high-mileage driver who meets both his objectives and cuts his journeys by 20% has really added to the company’s bottom line.

Some of my clients have rewarded these employees with creative incentives.

Pre-authorise longer journeys

Driving from London to Carlisle return is just over 600 miles and around 10 hours driving.

According to the Energy Saving Trust, including salaries, the average pence-per-mile cost of driving on business is 81p, giving a trip cost of more than £500 if you consider accommodation.

Even an open first-class rail ticket is £100 cheaper, and standard class can cost less than £100.

Why not get all journeys exceeding an agreed amount pre-authorised?