Saved: 36 million miles

Van drivers who have completed a day’s training under the Government-inspired Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving (SAFED) scheme are expected to collectively drive more than 36 million fewer miles, making fleets safer and more environmentally-friendly.

Improved driving standards among Britain's army of light commercial vehicle drivers will reap both safety and environmental benefits, according to backers of the SAFED for Vans programme, which has now gone on to a commercial footing following the ending of the £2.6 million Government-funded launch phase of the project. A day's training under the SAFED banner now costs from around £160 per driver, depending on the training company provider. There are around 300 SAFED trained instructors nationwide.

One of the training providers is Drive & Survive and Mark Edwards, training manager at the risk management company, said the statistical analysis of the Government-funded phase of the programme also revealed what all defensive driver trainers know to be true - adopting improved concentration, observation and anticipation techniques can reduce journey times.

Focusing on 100% practical, in-vehicle training, Mr Edwards said: "If a hypothetical van in the normal course of its work was completing journeys totalling 200 miles per day at an average fuel consumption of 40 mpg the cost of the course would be repaid in full in fuel savings alone in just nine weeks. That's a remarkable return on investment by anybody's standards." Launched last year, the SAFED for Vans programme is aimed at delivering cheaper, greener and safer driving to van drivers.

Government cash saw 7,500 drivers trained in SAFED techniques, resulting in:

• An average improvement in MPG of over 24% during the day's training
• Up to a 60% reduction in driver faults
• A 34% reduction in the number of gear
changes by each driver
• A 1.5% journey time reduction

The overall environmental and cost benefits resulting from the project for those companies who participated in the initial programme include:

• National annual fuel savings of over £4.3 million
• Average annual savings per driver of £570
• A national reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of 12,978 tonnes per year
• A reduction in carbon of 3,511 tonnes per year
• Van miles removed from roads equivalent to 36,464,626 per year
• Secured insurance discount for SAFED trained van drivers

Safer driving means:

• Fewer injuries and fatalities on the roads
• Less crash damage to vehicles
• Less unproductive downtime for vehicle repair
• The potential for reduced insurance premiums

Hopes are high that the SAFED programme will now become 'embedded in industry' with ownership of its continued delivery being met by a network of qualified training instructors.

Claire Shrewsbury, programme manager for the Government funded element of SAFED, said: "The funding stage of SAFED has been a great success and the numbers clearly demonstrate that SAFED delivers real results. This year has been also been crucial in developing and embedding SAFED as an initiative that will go from strength-to-strength in the long-term.

"The funding has helped to equip the network of SAFED trainers with the standard to deliver SAFED into the future on a commercial basis. It is expected that the commercial roll-out will continue the success we've seen during the funding-phase and that SAFED will be recognised as a key requirement for driver training and development."

SAFED for Vans was launched following the success of a similar truck-related programme.

Fleet managers and van drivers interested in finding out how SAFED for Vans could benefit their business should visit www.safed.org.uk

Pumping up the savings

The mechanical and electrical engineering company with its headquarters in Bowburn uses 50,000 litres of fuel as its fleet clocks up 340,000 miles a year.

Although the company benefited from SAFED training at a discounted rate as a result of the Government funding, director Alan Roberts said: "We would have still carried out this training if it had been charged at a commercial rate, as the benefits to our company and employees are greater than the cost and lost production time."

The company calculates that average MPG has improved by 10% with 5,000 fewer litres of fuel used and 13 tonnes of carbon dioxide saved. Other benefits include longer vehicle tyre and brake life, less driver stress and increased driver awareness.

The company was attracted to the SAFED programme as a way of improving fuel effi ciency and to meet health and safety legislative requirements. In addition, the company wanted to check that drivers were competent against an independent standard.

While training was well received by drivers, some questioned why they needed to go on the course as they had been driving for several years.

Mr Roberts said: "Despite some suspicion, the majority of drivers have benefited from the course and have been able to adjust their driving style to become smoother and more efficient. In addition, the outcome of the SAFED training has allowed the company to gain a better understanding of its driver's abilities."

While being environmentally-aware for 'some time', the company said that the training scheme had enabled it to concentrate its efforts on reducing fuel consumption and increasing its maintenance efficiency.

Driver training is now part of C&A Pumps' training plan and drivers who received an 'excellent' result during SAFED training have been rewarded with a trophy going to the top driver.

It is possible that a driver league table based on fuel consumption will be created with quarterly rewards being developed.

More case studies can be accessed at www.safed.org.uk/SAFEDVans/ caseStudies.htm

Saving lives - saving money... and saving the environment

News of climate change is everywhere, and for busy fleet managers wrestling with everything from negotiating better discounts to managing occupational risk - saving the planet may seem a tough call to fit in with the day job.

But road transport is a major contributor to UK carbon emissions and constitutes one of the few areas where emissions are actually increasing.

Solving global warming is a pretty big challenge; however there are initiatives which all organisations can take which will not only make an important contribution but will also deliver on the core responsibilities of any fleet manager - keeping drivers safe and managing costs.

Managing mileage

Fleet decision-makers don't always have to look for hi-tech solutions to reduce emissions from the fleet. It's often forgotten that the greenest vehicle is one which isn't moving. Initiatives which reduce fleet mileage will reduce emissions, but at the same time will reduce fleet costs and reduce the amount of time drivers are at risk.

Firstly, question whether the company's mileage reimbursement policy encourages extra journeys; over generous fuel rates for company vehicles, or the Approved Mileage Allowance Payment (AMAP) rates for individuals using private vehicles will inevitably create incentives for staff to travel.

Therefore, fleet managers should seek to create a culture that challenges the need to travel and one which actively encourages the alternatives. Video conferencing can significantly increase staff effectiveness, whilst the train is not only lower emission and safer than road, but also cheaper if unproductive time driving is costed in and compared with time spent working on a rail journey.

It is estimated that 5% of all miles driven are going the wrong way, so solve this and reduce the company's carbon footprint at a stroke.

Satellite navigation is increasingly available on fleet vehicles, but even at additional cost the payback looks highly attractive and businesses will not just save fuel and save emissions, but drivers will be less stressed and inherently safer.

Improving consumption

Burning less fuel means reduced emissions and even before setting off, driver behaviour will impact on fuel economy. Make sure staff understand that checking tyre pressures regularly is essential from a safety perspective but also that under inflated tyres will increase fuel consumption. Unnecessary weight in the boot or leaving roof racks in situ will impact similarly.

Eco driving techniques concentrate on optimising gear changes, avoiding excessive speed and maintaining steady progress by better anticipating road conditions - all synonymous with safer driving. The SAFED (Safe And Fuel Efficient Driving) scheme for van drivers and other training schemes adopted by fleets for company car drivers have shown that lasting improvements of 10% are achievable even after the 'honeymoon period' and contribute to fewer accidents, fewer injuries and lower repair bills.

Cleaner cars

There is little doubt that fleets have become considerably cleaner - carbon dioxide emission-based company car tax has concentrated the mind.

But the tax has also reduced the number of company cars and driven increasing numbers of eligible drivers to cash alternatives and employee car ownership schemes.

At a time when many organisations are anxious to reduce their carbon footprint, business travel in employee-owned cars is frequently forgotten and can, in some cases, be of greater significance than company owned vehicles.

It is estimated that between three and four million drivers use their own vehicle on business and Energy Saving Trust (EST) data suggests the average age of these vehicles is seven years old.

From an environmental perspective this is significant - these vehicles will have emissions 10-15% higher than typical fleet vehicles and from a safety perspective seven-year-old vehicles will fall woefully short of what we have become used to from modern fleet cars. For both these reasons organisations should carefully scrutinise the case for using employee-owned vehicles and encourage cleaner and safer company cars where possible.

Where this is not appropriate consider applying similar policies that would apply to company cars both in terms of CO2 emissions and minimum European New Car Assessment Programme crash test ratings. That way fleet managers will be protecting drivers as well as the environment.

Increasingly organisations are realising that a green approach to doing business is a socially responsible thing to do - as far as fleet is concerned even more so, as a green fleet means increased safety for employees and other road users.

EST is a not for profit organisation working to encourage the sustainable use of energy. EST offers free advice to organisations on reducing the environmental impact of fleets. Visit www.est.org.uk

Put the brake on fleet costs

Fitted to the Transit the device can make sound business sense with fuel consumption savings, as well as reduce CO2 emissions, says Britain's number one light van seller.

The company has produced a performance chart illustrating the effect of driving a crosssection of Transit models at governed speeds of 60 and 65 mph (see right). A road speed limiter costs £25 and is an option on all diesel models.

On a Transit 260 or 280S 2.2 litre 85 PS low-roof van, for example, driving 10 mph below the motorway limit could save more than 19% on fuel consumption at cruising speeds - alongside a similar percentage cut in CO2 emissions. By limiting speeds to 65 mph, a saving of more than 10% at cruising speeds is possible on the same model, again with a corresponding 10%-plus reduction in CO2 emissions.

On a Transit Jumbo, a cruising speed saving of almost 13% is achievable by governing top speed at 60 mph compared with 70 mph.

Ford's fleet operations director Kevin Griffin said: "For operations on which maximum motorway speed is not a critical factor, we believe use of road speed limiters to be one of the most cost-effective approaches."

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