Fleet briefs: Latest industry news from Red, Bridgestone, Sogo, Engineius, Co Wheels, Brightmile, Gofor and Shell

Red joins Driving for Better Business programme

Red Corporate Driver Training has joined the Government’s Driving for Better Business Campaign (DfBB) to help drive up road safety standards in the UK.

Visitors to next week’s Fleet and Mobility Live Show will be able to take part in the DfBB/Red Brake Distance Challenge, designed to get fleet and risk managers really thinking about the impact the actions of drivers have behind the wheel.

Seb Goldin, CEO at Red Corporate Driver Training, said: “We’re delighted to partner with DfBB and help expand on the excellent work they do in increasing safety standards on our roads for all users.

“DfBB’s four key areas of focus very much align with how our training business operates, focusing on fitness to drive, compliance, leadership and business benefits, and safe vehicles.

“It also coincides with the launch of our Safety First risk management programme platform, offering fleets an easy to use cloud-based support system to manage drivers, vehicles and the grey fleet.”

Driving for Better Business is a National Highways programme to help employers in both the private and public sectors reduce work-related road risk, control the associated costs and improve compliance with current legislation and guidance.

Mark Cartwright, from Driving for Better Business, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Red Corporate Driver Training supporting those organisations with employees who drive for work.  

“It is fantastic to work alongside like-minded partners to improve safety and reduce risk for those who drive on our road network, and to help everyone in organisations understand their responsibilities to ensure everyone gets home safe and well.”

Sogo achieves Scope 3 emissions standard

Sogo has achieved Scope 3 emissions, making it one of the first in the fleet sector to secure the environmental standard.

The verification was completed by an independent auditor and enables the company to monitor its carbon emissions as a business.

Scope 3 is widely recognised as the most challenging as it considers the emissions up and down an organisation's supply chain that aren't immediately related to the business, for instance, from the goods it purchases from its suppliers to the products its clients use.

Karl Howkins, managing director of Sogo, said: “Sustainability is part of everything we do, from ensuring that companies can trial BEVs on flexible terms to an innovative partnership with the BP Target Neutral Programme, which ensures the carbon emissions of every mile driven in a Sogo vehicle are offset.

“It took a huge amount of work to achieve Scope 3, but we are committed to making a difference and helping our customers on their green journeys.

“Despite most legislators’ confusion about the best way to reduce emissions globally, we remain committed to challenging the conventional thinking that sees BEV as the only solution.

“PHEV, DHEV, hydrogen, and E fuels all have a part to play in our sustainable mobility-driven future."

Sogo achieved Scope 1 and 2 emissions in March 2023, as part of its journey towards net zero.

Scope 1 emissions cover the greenhouse gas emissions that a business produces directly, such as when operating its cars and boilers.

While scope 2 includes emissions the company has indirectly, such as when the electricity or energy it purchases to heat and cool buildings is generated on its behalf.

Co Wheels grows fleet in Scotland

 

Co Wheels Car Club has expanded its fleet of vehicles in the city of Edinburgh, with the addition of two new electric vehicles (EVs).

The fleet now includes zero-emission electric and fuel-efficient petrol cars including the MG 3 and MG 4 hatchbacks and the larger, family sized MG5 estate and MGZS SUV.

"We are excited to introduce our enhanced car-sharing service to the vibrant city of Edinburgh," said Richard Falconer, head of locations and business development at Co Wheels.

"Edinburgh is a city known for its forward-thinking approach to transportation, and we are proud to be meeting the needs of the community by offering a convenient and sustainable alternative to traditional car ownership."

Co Wheels, which was founded in 2008, has more than 600 vehicles on fleet. 

“Car share clubs such as Co wheels, reduce the number of vehicles on the road, contributing to lower carbon emissions and greener, safer cities,” continued Falconer.

“Car mobility services are perfect for those who do not need regular access to a vehicle or who only need a second vehicle on occasion. Our expansion in Edinburgh reflects this growing demand for sustainable transportation options across the city.”

Brightmile releases driver safety app upgrade with Drivetech

Brightmile has released a major app update to boost driver engagement in safety for global fleet customers with partner Drivetech.

The update includes improved e-learning from Drivetech, including accessibility improvements such as better contrast for those with certain eye conditions, and an improved user experience on mobile devices.

The updates will shortly also be made available to all of Drivetech’s customers.

The Brightmile app is designed to intervene when a driver performs an ‘unsafe action’ such as speeding, by providing e-learning content from Drivetech designed to change the risky behaviour.

Their online portal for managers outlines fleet-level safety trends and areas for improvement for managers to analyse.

The upgrade has been developed in response to customer feedback, says Dominic Saunders, CEO and co-founder of Brightmile.

“Brightmile focuses on business driving, providing real-time feedback on driver behaviour and gamifying improvements to encourage safer driving habits,” he said.

“We’re delighted to unveil the latest version of the app, in which drivers have access to more personalised rewards, whether that’s to gain prizes or to donate to charity, to provide yet another boost for fleet safety.”

Leo Taylor, head of product at Drivetech, added: “We've dedicated significant effort to refining the BrightCoach e-learning experience.

“Our goal is to ensure that driver education is not only effective but also engaging and impactful. With Brightmile's platform, we're bringing this commitment to a wider audience.”

Bridgestone urge motorists to check tyres after survey findings reveal risk to drivers

Bridgestone is embarking on a tyre safety drive with motorists across the UK, after 81% admitted to never checking their tyres and only 14% described them as the most important safety feature on their cars.

A survey of 2,000 drivers revealed that despite tyres being the only contact points between a vehicle and the road – and responsible for 159 deaths or serious injuries from defective tyres related accidents – the majority of motorists didn’t deem them to be as important as airbags.

The results coincide with TyreSafe’s National Tyre Safety Month taking place throughout October, which aims to raise awareness about the benefits and importance of regular tyre checks.

Other headline statistics from Bridgestone’s research include 54% not knowing that driving on illegal tyres is an extremely dangerous act, only 31% of motorists admitting to being well informed on road safety matters and just 12% checking their tyre treads once a fortnight, which is the recommended period.

Bridgestone’s north region vice president, Andrea Manenti, said: “We remain surprised that tyres aren’t seen as the number one safety device on a car in the minds of so many motorists.

“In fact, they are seen as less important airbags, which often go off as a result of defective tyres.

“The results show us that there is still a lot of education needed around the topic of tyres.”

Stuart Lovatt, TyreSafe chair, added: “This research by Bridgestone reinforces the concerns we have on driver understanding and attitudes towards tyre safety.”

Gofor introduces driver portal for salary sacrifice customers

Gofor is introducing a driver portal for its growing client base of salary sacrifice customers.

Built by BCF Wessex, the portal will provide drivers online access to the latest electric vehicle (EV) offers, where they can compare the different cars available to them at a salary sacrifice level that suits their circumstances.

After choosing their vehicle, Gofor’s new system display an analysis of the gross salary sacrifice, tax deductions, and ultimate net salary sacrifice.

Additionally, it will offer a comparison of the cost of leasing the same car privately versus salary sacrifice.

Graham Lesslie, managing director of Gofor, said: “The new Gofor customer portal represents a real landmark for our salary sacrifice product and is the result of a significant investment from the business.

“We believe this positions us as a serious salary sacrifice provider using technology as an enabler for more people to access new electric vehicles.

“For Gofor, it will offer us the opportunity to manage new driver enquiries at scale and ramp up the number of salary sacrifice deals we write.”

The new customer portal is Gofor’s latest development in the company’s digital transformation as it moves to becoming a fully customer-centric vehicle finance and fleet management provider.

AI Corporation extends deal with Shell to protect fuel card users from fraud

AI Corporation has extended its collaboration with Shell Business Mobility to protect Shell Card users from fraud.

By combining AI’s Autopilot Machine Learning (APML) technology, Shell says it will enhance its fraud detection and prevention capabilities.

AI’s fraud management products and alerting services help enable the global energy company to reduce the impact of fraudulent activities, including card cloning, card swapping and skimming; as well as identifying and stopping fraud before it takes place.

Shell’s dedicated fraud management team and AI Corporation have been cooperating to deliver fraud detection and prevention functionality across Shell’s fuel card portfolio for almost 10 years. 

Piers Horak, chief commercial officer at AI, said: “AI is delighted that Shell Business Mobility has chosen to extend our service and technology collaboration and the protection we offer their fuel card business. 

“Our automated machine learning solutions provide our customers with a secure and reliable solution, allowing their business to focus on their core offering and leave transaction security to us.

“We look forward to continuing to deliver clear business value to Shell and their Customers across Europe and further afield.”

Engineius’ driver’s choose Tebay Motorway Services as their favourite

There are over 100 motorway service stations in the UK, but Tebay services on the M6 achieved the top spot from Engineus’ drivers.

The family-run business, which sources food locally and provides multiple EV charging stations, was reported as looking and feeling welcoming, modern, and picturesque, setting it apart from other service stations.

Engineius has a network of over 600 self-employed drivers and transport agents who collect and deliver vehicles all over the UK on a daily basis and are regular users of motorway service stations for work or leisure.

Close behind Tebay were Rugby (M6), Gloucester (M5) and Annadale Water- A74 (M) services.

Chris Clibbery, director at Engineius, said: “A nicer environment is somewhere our drivers felt most comfortable to stop, and this is important when taking a break from time on the road.”

The length of their journey was definitely a deciding factor on if, or when they would stop at a service station.

The largest share of the votes at 42% replied that they would stop once they had been driving for three hours, while only 13% of drivers would stop after one hour on the road. 

Clibbery said: “Driving longer distances can be tiring and stressful, so having somewhere to stop and recharge is as essential for the driver as it is for the vehicle.”