Rise in ‘rightsizing’ as more fleets introduce appropriate van sizes
Written by: Abaranji Sivakumar, Last updated:14th February 2022
Fleet managers have been making sure they use the right tool for the job after it emerged that more than one in six (17 per cent) fleets have changed the size of the vans they operate on their fleet in the past year.
Eight per cent of companies surveyed by Arval said they had acquired bigger vans in the last 12 months. Conversely, nine per cent had picked up smaller vehicles.
The research found that smaller fleets (i.e. fewer than 10 vehicles) are leading the way with a switch to larger vans, while fleets with more than 50 vehicles are using smaller vehicles.
Shaun Sadlier, head of Arval’s corporate vehicle observatory in the UK, said these findings come after the organisation had urged more van fleets to look at the benefits of rightsizing and ensuring that the vehicles they are using are the right size for their intended use.
“Rightsizing works both ways,” he explained.
“It is inefficient, and can even be unsafe, to use a smaller vehicle for a job that really needs a bigger van and vice versa. This is because of factors such as optimising the payload and maximising fuel consumption.”
He added that migration in van size is becoming a trend with almost one in five fleets changing vehicle size perhaps due to rightsizing.
Additionally, only one in ten fleets sought external advice when buying vans.
“With so much choice, selecting the right van can be a complex and difficult process and this is an area where the van expertise we have developed over many years would be valuable to fleets of all shapes and sizes,” added Mr Sadlier.
Ellie Baker, brand manager at Fuel Card Services, comments: “Using a bigger vehicle than is necessary can lead to fuel wastage while using a vehicle that is too small has its safety implications, so it is great to see that fleets are taking the initiative.”
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