Commercial fleet briefs: Latest industry news from Yodel, FORS, Civica, Webfleet, Applied Driving, Durite, FedEx, Speedy Asset Services and DMN Logistics

Yodel recruiting for 2,000 roles ahead of the festive peak

Yodel has announced that it is creating over 2,000 seasonal roles as it prepares for what is expected to be a busy peak season for the industry.

Roles are available across Yodel’s 50 locations nationwide.

Yodel’s consumer-to-consumer (C2C) operations have boomed with parcel volumes growing by 162% in just 12 months.

This latest recruitment drive also follows a series of infrastructure and fleet investments, including the opening of a new site in Coventry and a £14.5m spend on new tractor units and double decker trailers, boosting capacity to support the business as it scales up operations for the busy pre-Christmas period.

Mike Hancox, CEO of Yodel, said: “Each year the industry looks to increase capacity in preparation for higher volumes over the Christmas peak, and with the continuing growth in the market we anticipate this festive season to be our busiest yet.

“Many of the roles available represent an opportunity to grow into long-term careers with progression into more senior positions.

“Working at Yodel gives you the flexibility to work either full or part-time to suit your lifestyle and is an opportunity to join a nationwide network of dedicated and committed colleagues.” 

Yodel has also launched a new recruitment website to make discovering and securing new driver roles even easier for applicants.

FORS updates training programme with new Advanced Practitioner qualification

FORS, the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, has unveiled its new training qualification ‘Advanced Practitioner’ in response to increased demand from fleet managers seeking advanced professional development opportunities. 

The new qualification builds on the popular FORS Practitioner training programme, which already boasts over 3,400 graduates and saw the addition of five new modules earlier this year. 

To achieve Advanced Practitioner status, fleet managers must complete all 15 training modules offered by FORS – five more than is required to become a base-level FORS Practitioner. 

A range of topics are covered within the FORS Practitioner training portfolio, including advanced risk management, sustainable fleet operations and advanced driver training.

All modules have been specifically developed for transport professionals looking to advance their professional development and demonstrate their commitment to road safety, efficiency and environmental protection.

Existing FORS Practitioners are only required to complete their remaining five courses to achieve Advanced Practitioner status, but this must be achieved prior to the expiry date of their current qualification.

FORS concession director, Geraint Davies, said: “With the introduction of Advanced Practitioner, we’re once again raising the bar for road safety, efficiency and environmental protection.

“We’ve invested heavily in our training programme over the past year, and the enthusiastic response we’ve had from ambitious fleet managers since we launched is encouraging.”

The Advanced Practitioner qualification is available to all fleet managers, regardless of their size or sector, and courses are still available to book for September.

Forestry and Land Scotland picks Civica to transform transport compliance and safety

Forestry and Land Scotland is set to transform management of its fleet and equipment by implementing a new cloud software platform from global GovTech leader Civica.

The Scottish Government (SG) agency is responsible for managing Scotland’s national forests and land. Its work on national forests and land contributes £1 million to the Scottish economy each day and supports 11,000 jobs.

Via a new multi-year partnership, the organisation will implement Civica’s TranSend fleet management cloud software to ensure compliance, availability and safety for more than 700 vehicles, large machinery and 3,000-plus pieces of equipment.

Tommy Groat, head of mechanical engineering at Forestry Land Scotland, said: “With an extensive fleet of vehicles, machines and equipment operating across the whole of Scotland, it is imperative that we manage these assets optimally in order to deliver the best value for the public purse and to ensure that we meet all of our obligations as an SG agency.

“With TranSend we expect to achieve that and greatly improve and streamline our processes.”

Webfleet supports Mitchells of Mansfield to electrify fleet

Webfleet, Bridgestone’s fleet management solution, has supported Mitchells of Mansfield carbon cutting mission by providing a proven business case to switch to its first electric Renault truck.

The Nottinghamshire-based pallet distributor – which aims to become carbon neutral by 2027 – has taken delivery of a 18-tonne Renault E Tech D Wide electric truck, identified as a feasible transition by Webfleet’s fleet electrification planning report.

Webfleet telematics data was used to confirm which truck should be replaced and with which battery.

“With Webfleet, we could see exact mileage, tail lift use and average speeds for the original diesel truck – allowing us to anticipate exact energy needs,” explained Mitchells of Mansfield’s managing director Richard Montgomery.

“This meant we didn’t overspend on battery packs we didn’t need, and it ensures that the battery will perform right up to the end of its term.”

The truck is ideal for urban deliveries in and around Nottingham, a city which plans to become carbon neutral by 2028.

Webfleet is also keeping Mitchells updated on charging needs.

The investment has also had a significant positive impact on driver safety with Webfleet OptiDrive 360 highlighting instances of speeding, harsh steering or sudden braking across the fleet of 55 trucks. 

Telematics specialists and Webfleet premium partner FMC Fleettrak advised on both solution and installation.

Debbie Aldridge, director at FMC Fleettrak, said: “Mitchells are one of our most inspiring and forward-thinking clients. This is such a great marriage of market-leading technology enabling a truly future-proofed fleet solution.”

Applied Driving launches intelligent dashboard to support fleet risk

Applied Driving has enhanced its web-based portal, Riskmapp, with the launch of a new intelligent dashboard.

As a result, the company says its customers will now be able to better understand driver risk and compliance, as well as receive actionable insights from their fleet and video telematics data.

The intelligent dashboard brings together critical summary data across all driver risk assessments, licence checking and training requirements, which is fully customisable to meet precise fleet needs. It provides an executive overview for complete management clarity, underpinned by a drill down analytics capability that allows users to quickly access the data they need.

It also possesses an export function to download or share insights from a comprehensive reporting suite.

Applied Driving has designed the dashboard to display driver performance data captured from both its Companion+ Mobile Safety application and a growing number of fleet and video telematics integrations.

Andy Phillips, global managing Partner at Applied Driving, said: “Our fleet customers will now be able to gain a bigger picture view of road safety by accessing added operational insight and business intelligence through the dashboard.

“We have created an online tool which allows them to monitor driver performance and evaluate fleet risk, so they can target continuous improvement and positive change.

“As a business we are committed to constantly innovating, so this is part of a programme of developments planned over the coming months.”

Cameras save money for aggregates specialist

Aggregates specialist Kealshore says it is saving money thanks to its camera systems from Durite.

Kealshore specialises in pipe bedding, sand washing, groundworks supplies, site clearance, haulage and excavation.

It operates a fleet of 20 four-axle tippers and one rigid truck with a grabber. The vehicles are mixture of DAF, Volvo and Mercedes brands and have been fitted with Durite cameras for around 10 years.

The company started out with reversing cameras and most recently installed Durite’s SD card four-channel digital video recording (DVR) kits across its entire fleet.

Darren McClymont, garage foreman for Kealshore, said: “The cameras are a great visual aid for our drivers when they are reversing or performing other manoeuvres. However, the primary benefit to our business has been having a clear and accurate record of events during an accident.

“Surprisingly, there are still plenty of fraudsters out there who will attempt to scam you without hesitation. Fortunately, with our camera recording system in place, there have been numerous occasions where the footage from the Durite DVRs has unequivocally shown that our driver was not at fault.”

Compatible with both 12V or 24V vehicles, Durite provides the complete kit including a high-resolution 7” LCD monitor, plus four infrared cameras that provide clear footage day or night including a forward-facing, rear and two side cameras, and a four-channel DVR with 32GB SD card.

FedEx Express rolls out self-serve emissions reporting tool

FedEx Express Europe is rolling out its new, self-serve emissions reporting tool, FedEx Sustainability Insights, to customers in Europe.

The online tool, which launched in May 2023 for US-based customers, is now available with local language and metrics adaptations for customers in 11 European markets.

Leveraging package scan data from transport segments throughout the FedEx global network, the cloud-based tool uses a methodology verified by a third-party to be consistent with GLEC framework and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) protocol to report historical CO2 equivalents.

Reports provide a view of estimated emissions generated from international and domestic shipments sent via FedEx services.

The reporting tool is available online now for customers in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Wouter Roels, SVP marketing and customer experience, said: “Alongside our own efforts to reduce emissions across our daily operations, we recognize the desire of our customers to, not only know, but build a deeper understanding of the emissions generated from their transportation services.

“Our FedEx Sustainability Insights emissions reporting tool allows customers to view emissions estimates for the shipments they send with FedEx and helps them build a more complete picture of greenhouse gas emissions across their supply chain.”

Speed Asset Services to expand use of safety tech

A shared vision on safety is the driving force between a successful partnership between Speedy Asset Services and Fhoss.

The pair have been working together for around 18 months, with Speedy employing a cycle lane early warning system having added it to more than 200 of its HGVs.

Gareth Jones, group fleet compliance manager at Speedy Asset Services, explained: “The Fhoss system shines an orange light down the nearside of the HGV to warn all vulnerable road users of the vehicle’s intention to turn left.

“Having an extra visual turning aid helps keep our roads safer for all.

“There are limited ways for HGV drivers to communicate with other road users and pedestrians and this system really is excellent.

“When we introduced it to the industry, people were very impressed with the system and we are now looking at other ways in which it can be used on vehicles.

“We have also introduced the FhossHalo Exclusion system around our forklift trucks, too.”

This system enables focused beams of light to identify an exclusion zone around a vehicle, providing a highly visible warning to workers to keep clear of the danger zone.

Jones said Speedy Asset Services operates a fleet of more than 1,500 commercial vehicles and there are plans to increase the installation of Fhoss safety lighting more widely in the future.

He added: “Safety is at the heart of everything we do, which is why we were keen to work closely with Fhoss as their priorities very much align with ours.

“We have a shared vision when it comes to safety which makes the partnership so easy, and their lighting systems really are excellent.”

Andrew Kimitri, CEO of Fhoss, said: “When such a well-established industry leader like Speedy Asset Services speaks in such positive terms about our systems, we know we are getting something right.

“It reinforces our dedication to the highest safety standards and motivates us even more to continue saving lives and pushing the envelope in safety provision.

“We’re very much looking forward to continuing our work with Speedy Asset Services in the future.”

DMN Logistics gains ISO-certified accreditation

DMN Logistics has been awarded ISO 9001,14001, 27001 and 45001 accreditation certificates from the British Assessment Bureau.

The British Assessment Bureau offers UKAS-accredited certification and is the only government-backed body for ISO certification in the UK.

Accreditation determines the competence and integrity of the organisations offering reassurance that there has been a rigorous testing and certification service.

Nick Chadaway, managing director at DMN, said: “We are extremely proud of these ISO accreditations. We work tirelessly to ensure we are compliant in every aspect of our business and these certificates highlight our commitment to providing a superior level of service to our customers and staff.

“We took the unusual decision to attain all four accreditations at the same time and that we achieved this will reassure potential and existing customers, and our team, that our approach to business is the right one.”

ISO 14001 recognises DMN has environmental management systems in place that allow them to identify, manage, monitor and control environmental processes, validating their green credentials, reducing costs, overheads and wastage and ensuring legislative awareness and compliance.

DMN’s Quality Management System achieved the ISO 9001 accreditation, which shows their ability to implement clear, repeatable processes that help maintain a quality service for their customers every time.

As a business, a commitment to improving workplace safety for employees led to the ISO 45001 accreditation. This includes factors such as reducing employee injuries, assessing risk and monitoring workplace activities - demonstrating commitment to safety.

The ISO 27001 Information Security Management accreditation recognises DMN’s robust data systems’ ability to securely manage information assets and data such as customer and employee details, financial information and third-party data.

Their systems assess information security risks, have robust security controls and processes in place, and embed information security management.