A 10% fuel saving has already been recorded by Evolve Facility Services, which operates a fleet of 230 vans and provides bespoke professional in-house repairs and maintenance to 30,000 properties across Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

A recent recruit to ECO Stars, the company already recognised the importance of being able to achieve efficient vehicle planning and how driving behaviour could influence the bottom line as it had introduced telematics to the fleet in 2012.

Brian Gates, Evolve Facility Services’s community development manager, said: “Telematics helped the business understand how the vans were being used, and led to an improvement in the deployment of vehicles and development in the driving skills of trades people.”

For example, as part of an operative’s induction into the business, their driving skills are assessed before they are allowed to get behind the wheel of a company vehicle.

This year the business has focused on bedding in the telematics system, understanding what the data is telling them and coaching drivers on what is expected of them, which has helped deliver a 10% fuel saving. 

Telematics reports are scrutinised with a focus on speeding, heavy breaking and routes taken by drivers to specific jobs. The net result has been an increase in productivity and fewer speeding tickets.

Gates said: “Our next step is to include driving style targets into our existing appraisal and performance management system.” 

The business has expanded rapidly in recent years resulting in fleet growth and, said Mr Page, in a very competitive market it was essential prices were right and service first class and ECO Stars was contributing.

Evolve Facility Services joined Sefton Council’s ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme in May 2014 and Mr Gates said: “We were provided with some fantastic guidance that has paid off in a short period of time, for example the fuel saving.

“After following advice and implementing practices such as weekly vehicle checks ensuring tyres are correctly inflated etc we have introduced a ‘WOW Van’.”

Previously staff would return to depots to collect materials, but now the ‘WOW Van’ travels to where trades people are working replenishing stock as required.

He concluded: “ECO Stars has helped to demonstrate that there is a lot more we can do, especially in helping getting the most out of our operatives who are not primarily focused on how they drive.” 

More articles on: