Fleet managers have called on the new Government to establish a clear strategy on fleet to allow better planning.

Meeting at the Fleet News Roundtable, sponsored by Trimble MRM, at Swindon before the General Election, there were pleas to help fleet operators ensure they put in place future-proof strategies with better guidance from Whitehall.

John Bradley, fleet manager for Hampshire Constabulary, warns that fleets had been let down in the past by incentives to adopt new technology which were withdrawn at short notice.

The previous government had already announced an incentive of up to £5,000 towards the price of an electric-powered vehicle from next year, although a Budget in June might see many plans revised.

Bradley says: “I would like to see a very clear government strategy on fleet. We need to know what technology or fuel will be favoured in the long term.

"We can’t afford to play with it for a few years then be told grants will no longer be available.”

Rising fuel costs while the recession was still affecting the economy have taken their toll on the cost of running a fleet, but fleet managers revealed how they have been able to keep tighter controls on spending.

Roy Rosier, indirect purchasing manager at Grafton Merchanting, says: “The construction industry, it’s said, is the first into and last out of recession. Mileage has been reduced simply because there hasn’t been the work out there.

“If your fleet has trucks and vans on it and you’re covering more miles it means you’re selling more.

“We use vehicle tracking at a branch level so the branch managers can check where our trucks are and over the past six months we’ve been getting to grips with our carbon footprint.”

He adds that for Grafton’s fleet, fuel used when travelling isn’t the only cost incurred on the job.

“Operating the cranes we carry on some vehicles costs more in fuel than the mileage to take them to sites.”

Bradley’s police fleet covers more than 16 million miles a year, and he says close monitoring of vehicles and smart deployment helps keep fuel costs under control.

“Within our force of 1,000-plus vehicles, we look at statistics and using the force control room and operational committees we can ensure an equitable distribution of our fleet.

“If we can deploy vehicles that are closest to incidents it reduces risk, cuts mileage and lowers fuel usage which reduces our environmental impact.”

He adds reports generated by fuelcard provider Arval means all mileage can be accounted for.

“Police mileage has risen in the last few years as an operational demand,” says Bradley

“But we can see quite clearly what we have spent and how much fuel we have used.”

Some fleets have been able to reduce costs by blending diesel with biodiesel where appropriate.

Rob Paddock, transport manager at office supplies company Commercial, says his vehicles are introduced to stronger biodiesel blends once the manufacturer warranty has expired.

“We have an on-site biofuel blending system with the blend programmed into the key fob of vehicles,” he says.

“Some vehicles are running on 100% biofuel, but common rail diesel engines don’t like to run on blended fuel straight away. We have to change the fuel filter after about a month as the biofuel cleans out residue in the tank, but after that they’re fine.”

Paddock says annual mileage has also been reduced, but if a business is growing it can be challenging to cut fuel costs.

“The lifecycle of the vehicles we’re using now is six years, and we’ve managed to reduce annual mileage by 140,000 miles to 1.2 million.

“Our business is also growing so at some point – such as if we take on a new salesperson – it will add to our annual mileage.

“Fleet is part of a bigger picture with other environmental initiatives and policies already in action in other aspects of the company’s operations.”

Fleet operators have been able to limit the amount of cash spent on fuel by reminding drivers of the need for good behaviour, not just on the road, but before they get into their vehicles.

Lesley Cross, company vehicle officer at MAN UK, says: “We run a full diesel fleet, and we remind drivers about checking tyre pressure and so on."

We use fuelcards and inspect the reports provided to check the best and worst drivers on the fleet.

“We keep encouraging the best drivers and offer advice to the worst drivers, although we don’t have an incentive scheme.

“We’ve also seen a drop in fuel costs through using supermarket fuel.”

Paddock says Commercial takes a harder line, with naming and shaming of drivers in the worst case scenarios, although action is taken with individuals as problems arise.

“We choose vehicles based on published fuel consumption figures, and base our expectations on that. But we also check whether individual drivers need attention.

“If the driver is a problem, then I go out with them as a passenger and make suggestions as to how they could improve their economy.”

Trimble MRM head of product Bob Collins said one of the benefits of adopting telematics systems could be a reduction in insurance premiums.

Tim Watts, ACFO south-west and Wales regional chairman, said telematics can also help apportion blame correctly if there are disputes arising from crashes.

He says: “As well as a reduction in premiums, fitting telematics can also control the costs of minor damage as the data can be used to help reconstruct how the incidents may have occurred.”

Although many fleets have extended vehicle contracts during the recession, fleet operators recognised the potential cost benefits of adopting new technology earlier.

Paddock says: “When it comes to replacing vehicles, the new ones will also have better fuel economy.

“But we have three- to six-year replacement cycles so it can take a long time from any benefits of more efficient vehicles with lower CO2 emissions to make an impact on our fleet.”

Bradley adds: “Newer vehicles have lower maintenance requirements so we’ve been able to reduce overtime in our workshop.”

But Bradley admits there is also a downside to giving drivers a choice of pool vehicles when replacement cycles are staggered.

“We’ve noticed that if you’re putting out newly-registered vehicles on the fleet alongside older ones, our drivers will always want to take the newer cars.”

Technology gives petrol and diesel cars a future

Fleet operators predict fleets will rely on a mixture of different technologies in the future as vehicle manufacturers continue to develop alternatives to conventional petrol and diesel engines

John Bradley, fleet manager at Hampshire constabulary, has been an enthusiastic supporter of electric vehicles, and although he welcomes recent developments in attempting to make electric cars part of the mainstream, he accepts there is still a future for petrol and diesel.

“As petrol and diesel becomes more expensive, technology in vehicles that will give better mpg, along with better environmental performance and longer service intervals, will also be beneficial,” he said. “But we must have a mix of conventional fuel, electric and hybrid technology.”

Roy Rosier, indirect purchasing manager at Grafton Merchanting, added that new technology would need financial support from government bodies to gain widespread acceptance.

“Technology is going to change the way we operate but the question must be what incentives there will be to bring forward its use,” he said.