A blue sign with white writing saying Reduce co2

How to reduce your fleet’s Carbon emissions

The world of fleet has never seen such a period of change. With uncertainties around tax rates, the WLTP and changes with the ULEZ becoming 24/7. Reducing your fleet’s CO2 emissions should be a big priority. More changes are set to come in future years, so fleets need to be prepared.

Reducing carbon emissions is in the hands of the fleet managers. Whilst you still may be a few years away from switching to EVs, small changes within the existing system can make a huge difference without much capital investment, and no change is too marginal.

1. Review your vehicle habits

While it may seem obvious, innovation in your choice of vehicles should be the biggest change. Even now, many firms are in the habit of using petrol-guzzlers without paying attention to economic factors such as fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Match the vehicle to the job: There’s no need to send out a lorry or van to deliver goods that require the horsepower of a bike. It’s a good idea to invest in a smaller vehicle for smaller deliveries, if you feel this may be something your fleet is prone to.

There’s no need to compromise on performance: there are many vehicles offering less than 160g/km and fuel consumption above 45mpg. A fresh assessment on this can contribute to long-term financial savings, as well as reducing CO2 emissions.

2. Review your fleet policy

Where can you update your policy? Could you challenge the status quo? Many fleets operate under systems that have been in place for years. It’s crucial to keep up to date in one of the fastest changing industries in the UK.

You should also set new internal standards for vehicles and putting progressive CO2 targets in place, setting the company up for long-term savings in the instance of future law changes and tax requirements.

Investing in the best possible sat nav systems will also prevent your drivers from wasting valuable fuel if they take a wrong turn. Even if your navigation system has been in place for years, exploring updated versions can make a huge difference.

3. Don’t be weighed down

Eliminating just 45kg of excess weight can increase fuel efficiency by up to 2%. Consider downsizing or leaving unnecessary items such as roof racks and tool boxes back at the depot.

4. Under pressure

The importance of monitoring tyre pressure regularly is often overlooked as a factor affecting emissions, but a small change can make a big difference in this area. Too little pressure can lead to a higher rate of rolling  resistance, making the engine work harder and consume extra fuel as a result. You should encourage your drivers to undertake regular checks on their vehicle, to make sure things like this are in check.

If you want to start saving your diesel & petrol bills, then look no further than our own BP fuelcard, for more information, click here: https://www.fuelcardservices.com/brand-bp/

See for miles and miles

Three words that are guaranteed to upset fleet managers: counting mileage and expenses. Business mileage is the most commonly claimed expense for UK companies – and it’s growing. (So too is all the administration of it.) My Fleet Solutions presents MileageCount: a smart, automated system for recording and reporting every mile of every journey in any vehicle. Accurate, dependable, and effortless, its all-in-one software makes it easy to record, manage, process and submit mileage records for all owned, leased and “grey” vehicles used for your business. MileageCount is the simplest way to save the most time, money and worry on the miles your company must account for.

Every company mile matters. Estimates, mistakes, private and unrecorded journeys won’t do. You can’t afford to hope all forms are complete and accurate. And with MileageCount you don’t have to. Counting mileage is automatic and accurate, maximising savings and minimising exposure to fraud. MileageCount then makes it easy to manage all reporting, shrink expense claims, reduce fuel spend, ensure duty of care, and more.

Save time: Research shows 54% of drivers take over two hours to submit mileage claims every month. 10% take over eight hours! That time spent filling out forms means time lost working. MileageCount makes it easy for drivers to record and submit their business mileage, and easy for fleet managers to check and approve their mileage claims.

Save Money: Saving admin time saves money, reporting with accuracy avoids costly over-estimations, and clear data helps identify ways to streamline operations. Our research figures show that MileageCount can reduce business mileage claims by up to 21%. And businesses can start counting mileage and the savings as soon as it’s implemented, from as little as £3.50 per month per driver.

Save Worry: HMRC requires complete, accurate mileage reporting. Every journey incorrectly reported and mile over claimed isn’t just unnecessary expense, it risks HMRC investigation. If HMRC find your records are inaccurate, fines can date back years. MileageCount could help you avoid all fines related to mileage records. Developed in conjunction with Big 4 accountancy expertise, it’s the easiest way to ensure compliance through accuracy

Save more: Legislation governing vehicles and drivers also requires you to stay on top of servicing, licences, tax and insurance. MileageCount saves you from all these administration headaches too, and helps you manage all your Duty of Care requirements with ease.

Carbon offsetting schemes help green-minded fleets

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Carbon offsetting schemes help green-minded fleets to see the bigger picture and fulfil their corporate social responsibility obligations. Christopher Smith reports

Fleet decision-makers are facing continual pressure to reduce emissions and the environmental impact of their vehicles.

Latest Fleet200 research shows that the average CO2 emissions from some of the UK’s largest fleets fell 4.1% compared to 2014, from 121g/km to 116g/km. This is equivalent to 10 tonnes per year of CO2 for a fleet of 100 cars.

Some fleets have achieved average emissions as low as 97g/km.

Carbon reduction can often be achieved through improving vehicle technology and adopting car procurement policies which are incentivised by the CO2-based company car tax regime.

But, if fleets want to go beyond adopting cleaner vehicles, what else can they do to reduce their impact on the environment?

One option is to participate in a carbon offsetting scheme. These have been in existence for a number of years and usually ‘offset’ the carbon footprint of a business through issuing credits, which are then spent in projects and schemes designed to support the environment and capture carbon, such as planting trees.

For fleets, the majority of carbon offsetting programmes work by calculating the CO2 produced based on the amount of fuel bought.

Mike Capper, business development manager at BP Target Neutral, says: “We would always encourage businesses to reduce their emissions as a first plan of action.”