Fleet briefs: Latest news from DriverCheck, VisionTrack, FleetCheck, Micheldever Fleet Solutions and Broughton Removals

DriverCheck ‘removes the burden’ for South Central Ambulance Service

South Central Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust has switched to fully electronic and automated licence checking with DriverCheck for its pool of over 3,600 drivers and 1,200 vehicles.

Because of the nature of the work, which is 24 hours a day, seven days a week, shift patterns of 8-10 hours are the norm, with potentially up to three drivers per vehicle at times – hence such a large pool of qualified drivers, says Jon Porter, driving standards manager.

“Our drivers’ licences are checked every three months to ensure they are entitled to drive the class of vehicle they are required to,” he explained.

“As you might imagine, before employing DriverCheck, this was a huge manual task, often carried out by a large number of team leaders and supervisors across the organisation.

“It was very hard to keep track of whether the required checks had actually been carried out on time or to the required standard, and the opportunity for errors was considerable. Now, our system is completely paperless and drivers complete the registration process via e-declaration rather than physical forms.”

He continued: “DriverCheck manages the whole process which takes the burden away from us completely and not only cuts down on admin time and staff resources, but is far more cost effective.”

Day’s Rental adopts FleetCheck to drive fleet compliance

Day’s Rental has adopted FleetCheck’s Professional level fleet management software to help drive higher levels of compliance for its commercial vehicle customers.

It is being used by the Swansea-based company’s Vehicle Management Services division, which looks after maintenance and driver compliance for more than 1,000 vans, trucks and other assets operated by its rental customers.

Lorraine Dumayne, vehicle management services executive at Days Rental, said: “While our compliance standards were already high, we noticed that this is an area in which customers were taking an increased interest, so looked to enhance our offering.

“As a result, we’re using FleetCheck as our core fleet management tool to plan and deliver scheduled and non-scheduled works, and to ensure full compliance with all legal, statutory and regulatory standards.”

Peter Golding (pictured), managing director at the fleet software specialist, added: “Working with Day’s, we’ve been impressed by their proactive attitude to compliance and determination to deliver the best service for their customers, and we’re very pleased to sign this new deal.”

Day’s Rental is part of Day’s Motor Group, which has been family owned since 1926 and is one of the largest employers in South Wales, with more than 600 staff. The company operates over 9,000 vehicles and has 14 branches across the UK.

Enfield Council fits AI video telematics to new electric bin lorry

Enfield Council has worked with existing video telematics partner VisionTrack to develop an AI-powered vehicle camera system for its first fully-electric refuse collection vehicle (RCV).

The Renault E-Tech D Wide 26-tonne truck has been specially-designed by Enfield Council and Renault Trucks. “Our aim was to develop an electric RCV of the future that brings together class-leading technologies and helps achieve sustainability, duty of care and road safety goals,” said Cllr Rick Jewell, cabinet member for environment at Enfield Council. 

“The collaboration with VisionTrack will provide increased protection to our residents, refuse collection teams and other road users.”

The video telematics solution combines four AI cameras, for 360-degree vision and vulnerable road user (VRU) detection, along with two wing mirror cameras and an external speaker for audible lefthand turn warnings.

The intelligent detection cameras use deep learning technology to identify pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and people on scooters, while disregarding street furniture.

With configurable safety zones, blind spots around the vehicle will be eliminated and drivers alerted to the precise location of nearby VRUs.

Footage will automatically be displayed on an in-cab monitor, and supplemented with an audible, spoken warning.

Road safety insight – including footage of collisions, near misses and harsh driving events – will also be uploaded to the Autonomise.ai IoT platform, so Enfield Council has complete visibility of driver, vehicle and fleet risk.

New fleet 4x4 tyre guide launched

Micheldever Fleet Solutions (MFS) has released a new tyre guide designed to help fleet managers get to grips with the tyre fitting requirements of the 4x4 tyre market.

The ‘Getting A Grip on 4x4 Tyres’ guide - available as a free download from the MFS website, https://micheldeverfleet.co.uk/ aims to help fleets looking for advice and insight on fitting the right tyre for the job. 

The guide provides an overview of the current market, advice on selecting the correct tyre fitments and case studies demonstrating of 4x4 tyre solutions.

It also contains detailed insight into the rise of the all-terrain tyre and its increasing application to meet a variety of on and off-road challenges.

Peter Gittens, head of MFS, said: “For those fleets operating in often diverse and difficult terrains, the correct tyre choice is crucial to ensuring they get the job done and to the best of their capabilities.

“The price paid by fleet managers for getting it wrong can come in financial penalties for time lost on the job or worse still, in accidents or vehicle breakdowns.

“This results in additional costs through potential injury to staff and vehicle downtime, with trucks and utility vehicles taken off the road while essential repairs are carried out.”

He continued: “There is a lot for fleet managers to consider when running 4x4 and SUV vehicles and it’s essential they are up to speed on selecting the best and most suitable tyre fitments for the vehicles they are operating in their fleet.”

Removals company raising awareness of breast cancer  

Broughton Removals has launched a new drive to raise awareness for breast cancer, having secured £200,000 funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland.  

The funding will see the business install a new fleet of vans, one of which is being wrapped in the branding of Breast Cancer UK. 

Having built a close relationship with the charity following personal connections to the cause, the business plans to deliver a series of employee led fundraising campaigns for Breast Cancer UK throughout 2023. 

Jo Munro, director and owner of Broughton Removals, said: "As a family-founded business, we have always felt a strong sense of responsibility to support our local community in Edinburgh. 

“We really value our relationship with Royal Bank of Scotland and this funding announcement will go a long way towards helping us to continue to expand the business, create jobs and support charitable causes along the way.”