How to get your business to reduce its fuel consumption in association with TRIMBLE MRM EUROPE

Making a business greener and being seen to be thinking in an eco-friendly way has become a priority for managers. For fleet businesses, this has taken precedence over all other concerns and if a fleet is not seen to be actively reducing its carbon footprint, it will quickly lose the respect of its customers.

One litre of fuel produces more than 2.5kg of CO2. In a large fleet of 25,000 vehicles that totals 63 tonnes of CO2 per litre of fuel for every vehicle in that fleet – so the carbon footprint of fleets is a considerable one. There is effective technology available to help monitor fuel consumption, but it inevitably comes down to the way a vehicle is driven. If managers really want to tackle the issue and be taken seriously in their efforts to do so, they must start thinking outside the box.

Incentives
Drivers have to be aware that a lot of responsibility lies at their door in ensuring a vehicle is managed in as eco-friendly a way as possible. But it is not enough to simply expect them to be considering the environment while doing their rounds. Giving drivers incentives to go easier on the pedals and conserve their fuel during a day’s work is an idea that should be explored.

Bonuses or salary rises are an obvious choice for rewards, but they could also include material gifts – shopping vouchers or tickets to sporting events – companies should initiate their own schemes. However, managers must be careful the gifts aren’t detrimental to the environment and ironically un-do all their drivers’ efforts.

If staff have the knowledge that there is a bonus pot or extra days holiday waiting for them, should they hit specific targets, a significant reduction in a fleet’s CO2 output will be seen. Using carrot rather than stick methods will certainly help with this and start embedding eco-friendly behaviour into fleets in the long term – it is vital individuals as well as companies both acknowledge and take responsibility for the green credentials of their fleet. It is not just a rewarding system either.

Punitive system
Given the range of penalties now in place for driving particularly fuel-hungry vehicles, it is becoming a punitive system as well – so new incentives will benefit a company in other areas.

Although drivers may argue they are conscious of the environment and attempt to drive in ways that suggest they are thinking green, it can drop down the priority list as the day goes on. If companies start rewarding their drivers for eco-friendly behaviour an improvement can undoubtedly be seen.