UK law states that all commercial vehicles are checked daily, regularly inspected and recorded constantly to ensure that they’re safe to drive.
Carrying out checks daily to ensure that vehicles are safe is the responsibility of every driver, and every manager. Thankfully, that responsibility is now much easier with MyDriveSafe.Expert. The app is free to download and use. Plus, there’s a manager’s portal and full reporting and compliance with all major standards.
MyDriveSafe.Expert will help you to protect your business and ensure you’re staying compliance.
Make huge savings
The MyDriveSafe.Expert app reduces admin time, records time taken to complete vehicle checks, and produces a clear audit trail for just £1 per week per driver. You’ll spot potential problems, earlier, preventing increasing, costly repairs and keep your fleet on the road.
There’s no hidden start-up fees, long term commitment or minimum number of vehicles as well as easy, hassle-free online reporting.
Security and peace of mind
Security is a key feature of every My Fleet Hub solution, and MyDriveSafe.Expert is no exception. With the MyDriveSafe.Expert app, a user can’t go back and amend their results once their check has been completed. Defects with vehicles are displayed until they are fully resolved, which can be a key component of your fleet management to help ensure you’re staying fully compliant.
It also comes with an offline function, so when you have no signal or data, you can still perform daily walkaround checks and the data will be transferred once you’re back online. There’s also support for many motoring organisations which is included within the templates, making it even easier for your fleet to comply.
A comprehensive suite of services
MyDriveSafe.Expert also comes with the ability to customise your checklists, report defects quickly and look up a vehicles DVLA information. With the driver’s app, there’s no more paperwork or guesswork, you simply have to choose your vehicle from the database by typing in the vehicles registration, choose from one of the industry standard, or custom templates and complete your check all from a smartphone app that’s free to download.
With the manager’s portal, you can view all vehicle safety checks in one clear, user-friendly dashboard. You can then sort against each vehicle or driver with a clear prompt for unresolved problems.
Our dedicated team can help you discover all the advantages available with MyDriveSafe.Expert, helping you with seamless integration with your business. Contact one of our team members today to get started.
Keeping carbon emissions low should be a major priority for any fleet manager today. Firms that don’t manage this will spend more money and contribute to climate change. That’s not good for either your balance sheet or your business’ reputation.
As such, it’s vital you have a plan for tackling your fleet’s emissions. This is especially important for larger businesses with many vehicles, but smaller firms can also benefit. And one way in which any company can reduce its carbon footprint is by having a quality telematics solution.
The importance of cutting emissions
The UK’s transport industry is still a major source of greenhouse gases. According to government figures, the sector was responsible for 34 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions in 2019. It also noted the “large majority” of this comes from road transport.
Therefore, the government has pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 68 per cent by the end of the decade and be net carbon zero by 2050. However, this won’t be possible without greatly reducing vehicle emissions.
For businesses, cutting carbon emissions is a vital part of any corporate social responsibility (CSR) plan. Customers expect firms to take a proactive attitude to this area and increasingly factor environmental performance into their buying decisions. For instance, research by the Carbon Trust suggests two-thirds of people (66 per cent) feel more positive about companies that can demonstrate they are making efforts to reduce emissions.
Aside from this, lower emissions go hand in hand with reduced petrol and diesel costs. Cutting down on carbon dioxide naturally means using fuel more efficiently, which is also good for your bottom line.
There are a number of methods firms can use to help reduce their fleet’s emissions, such as adopting more fuel-efficient vehicles, or even switching to hybrid or full-electric power. But these solutions often require major investments. However, there is a way any business can cut its emissions without large-scale changes to its fleet, and that’s by adopting telematics.
How telematics works
Telematics tools are increasingly popular among business fleet managers for a number of reasons, and making operations greener and more efficient is a key consideration.
They work by monitoring the performance and status of your vehicles in real-time, using a variety of different technologies. For instance, GPS tracking provides an accurate picture of where your cars and vans are at all times, as well as useful information such as its speed.
Meanwhile, sensors in the vehicle that connect to the central computer can record a range of detailed data. This can include diagnostics to alert you to any potential maintenance issues, but it can also monitor control inputs to build a picture of how your employees are driving.
These are all sent back to the business wirelessly and in real-time. This means fleet managers always have complete insight into where their vehicles are and how they’re being used.
You may even be able to compile accurate reports on miles per gallon and exhaust emissions, which can let you see the impact any steps will have.
Three ways telematics reduces your fleet’s emissions
With this information in hand, you can take a number of steps to reduce your fleet’s emissions. Here are three benefits you should be able to quickly see as a result of car telematics.
1. Better route planning
It goes without saying that the fewer miles you drive, the less emissions you’ll release into the atmosphere. In this regard, a good telematics system can be highly valuable. When coupled with a smart routing system, this can spot any inefficiencies and suggest improvements.
For example, vehicles that have to stop and start a lot will create large amounts of emissions. Therefore, tailoring routes to minimise this can have a significant impact. Similarly, reducing the amount of backtracking vehicles have to do between stops not only makes operations more efficient, but also reduces carbon output.
2. Reduced idling
Another effect of this data will be to reduce the amount of time vehicles spend idling. This is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions and air pollution. Indeed, it’s actually already an offence to leave a vehicle idling unnecessarily, with drivers liable for a £20 fixed penalty notice if they keep their engines running while parked on public roads.
Telematics can help with this by helping drivers avoid traffic jams, roadworks and other occasions where drivers may be sitting stationary for long periods. However, it can also help alert you to drivers who are displaying poor practices.
For example, if an employee turns on the engine and leaves their car to warm up for ten minutes on a cold morning, you can see this and step in. The same is true if drivers are leaving engines running while they make deliveries or any short stops.
This can make a real difference. For instance, one Tele-gence customer, JJ Food Service, reported it had been able to reduce idling time by 70 per cent since adopting the technology, with this helping cut its carbon emissions by two per cent.
3. Better driver behaviour
Changing driver behaviour isn’t limited to reducing idling, however. Vehicle telematics systems can also measure inputs such as throttle and brakes, how much a driver revs the engine and their steering actions. Hard accelerating and braking uses more fuel, which in turn means more emissions.
By keeping a close eye on this, you can spot who the worst offenders are for these poor driving techniques, then arrange education and training. With easy-to-use reporting tools, you can even create league tables that rate your employees’ performance.
At the same time, this data can be used to crack down on problems like speeding. As well as being a safety issue, higher speeds mean greater emissions, so there are several benefits to tackling this. With systems that can give real-time alerts if a driver is breaking speed limits, you can act quickly and stop bad habits forming.
None of this is possible without detailed telematics tools and effective reporting software. But with these solutions, you can track emissions in real-time and gain insight into exactly what impact your efforts are having. This can also prove useful when compiling CSR reports or otherwise demonstrating your commitment to going green.
If you want to know more about how telematics tools like Tele-gence can help reduce your carbon footprint and save you money, get in touch today!
Keeping company vehicles fuelled and on the road throughout the year is a crucial part of running an efficient business fleet and there are many different options available to a fleet manager. The two most popular and effective methods are either fuel cards or fuel bunkering. However, every company is different, so which option is best for your business? We’ve compared the benefits of both options to help you make the decision that will benefit your business the most.
Bunker Fuel
When we use the term bunker fuel, we are referring to bulk fuel that has been purchased by a company to be used by their fleet. Generally, the company in question will store and dispense fuel themselves and have access to refills from varying commercial sites, depending on the supplier.
Each type of bunker fuel that can be provided is completely different from each fuel supplier. Diesel is the most popular as it’s used by most fleets for larger vehicles, however, other specialist fuels can also be made available such as GasOil Plus for diesel tractors and many other varying types
The benefits of bunker fuel
First of all, there is only a one-off initial setup cost for your fuelling system, however, this would be a costly outlay. Bunker fuel prices can also be very reasonable as bunker fuel is purchased at fixed commercial rates, avoiding any surprises due to fluctuating fuel prices.
Fuel Cards
Fuel cards are a quick a convenient way for businesses to pay for fuel bought at roadside filling stations. A fuel card is uses similarly to a credit/debit card and they enable your drivers to refuel their vehicles whilst on the road, allow you to monitor the spending details and pay for fuel in one payment.
The benefits of a fuel card
Fuel cards offer a tremendous range of benefits. They allow you to monitor the amount you are spending on fuel with handy monthly reports, helping you to better manage your fuel consumption.
Fuel cards offer you more control over purchases. You can decide, manage and adapt your fuel cards to be used for specific fuels or other purchases, depending on the needs of your business.
Fuel cards also offer a massive saving in administration time. Fuel Card Services for example will send you a single HMRC compliant invoice, reducing the time spent on collecting receipts, sorting through invoices and collating your business mileage.
Bunker fuel vs. fuel card prices
The fluctuating cost of petrol, diesel and other fuels is a common occurrence which can have an impact on your business fuel expenditure. A range of factors can affect the price you pay for your fuel, such as the price of crude oil, gas shortages or alternative fuel sources and new types of vehicles (such as electric vehicles) becoming available on the market.
Choosing the right fuelling option based on the number of vehicles your business operates, the geography your business covers and your monthly fuel expenditure could lead to saving your business time and, most importantly, money. Therefore, your fuelling decisions should be based on the benefits that align with your company needs the most.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how fuel cards can save your business money and the specific benefits they offer for businesses and employees a lot, contact us and one of our friendly fuel card experts today.
Different fuel card companies in the UK offer different coverage. It’s therefore an important consideration when choosing the best fuel card to meet your needs. That said, do you actually need a product that offers extensive coverage? Really, it’s all about where you’re planning to use it.
What routes do you normally take?
When assessing the extent of coverage you need, the first thing to do is to take a close look at your business’ activities. Consider where your drivers will be regularly travelling to and from and factor this into your choice of fuel card.
Do you have staff making local deliveries or meeting clients nearby? Are you transporting goods the length of the country? Is it a mix of local and regional travel? Whether it’s long or short-haul travel you have planned, assess your most common transport routes and go from there.
This means taking an overview of your fleet activities. You should work out the average distance of journeys made by staff, as well as where in the country they take place. If you notice a pattern emerging, then tailor your card choice accordingly.
For example, a business based in Bristol that sees 95% of journeys within a 20-mile radius has no need for a fuel card that has great coverage in London but not near them.
Get the most suitable business fuel card
Not every fuel card is created equal. In fact, every product we offer has its own unique package of benefits – including where it can be used. An important consideration is therefore the breadth of the network available.
With thousands of UK fuel card sites across the country, it’s important to know which ones you have access to. This means doing your homework and knowing not just where you’ll want to use a fuel card, but also how.
Some products offer access to cheaper fuel at motorway services, while others will be more suited to rural locations. It all depends on the type of travel you regularly undertake.
Fuel cards offer great flexibility, but you need to get the one that has lots of options in the places you visit. It’s also important to make a decision based on the best prices in your area.
Save money with more efficient journeys
Meanwhile, making the most of your fuel card expenditure means maximising the efficiency of your journeys. Diversions to pick up extra fuel or drivers getting lost can have a big impact on expenses.
Every year, countless hours can be lost by drivers not knowing where to fill up. However, our Drivers Club app can take the guesswork out of travel planning. It tells you where the nearest fuel stations can be found. This allows you to reduce wasted mileage, as well as offering a range of premium services and extra benefits.
Get in touch with us today to find out about the options that are right for you. You can fill in our quick and simple enquiry to get access to the best fuel cards today.
From an early age, the creatures that call the rainforest home capture our imagination. It’s where, for most of us, our love for nature and the rainforest starts.
Whether it’s toucans or tigers, sloths or spectacled bears, frogs or funghi, rainforest plants and animals make up an intricate web of inter-reliant species.
People are a vital part of this web too. Often, we just think of human impact on species as a negative one. But indigenous-managed lands are increasingly being shown an essential haven for rainforest wildlife.
Indigenous people are inheritors and practitioners of unique ways of relating to people and the environment, protecting nearly 22% of Earth’s surface and 80% of biodiversity. With support, this makes them powerful stakeholders when responding to climate change and conservation challenges. In fact, across the Amazon, average annual deforestation rates inside tenured indigenous forestlands were 2-3 times lower than outside of them from 2000 to 2012.
Recognising the achievements and contributions made by indigenous peoples to wildlife conservation, land stewardship and climate mitigation is essential. It’s why Cool Earth’s model keeps forest conservation in the hands of local people, empowering the people who have the most impact.
“Only through rights-based, equitable and respectful partnerships with indigenous peoples, will it be possible to ensure the long-term and equitable conservation of biodiversity.”
Local and indigenous knowledge must be integral when developing meaningful practices that tackle the adverse impacts of climate change. Thanks to your support, Cool Earth works to share local knowledge and develop the best ways to protect rainforest globally. With help to develop their climate, financial and social resilience, we believe that indigenous and local communities have the potential to be the greatest rainforest custodians. Keeping wildlife-homing, carbon-storing, rain-making trees standing strong for years to come.
Rainforests play an essential, but often overlooked role in tackling the climate crisis. By working alongside CoolEarth, we’re doing our part to keep this incredible ecosystem strong.
